Seidoukan Academy's Rank0, Raijin
by HikaruNarukami
Summary: Tatsuya Narukami Hikaru is a seemingly normal teen but he carries a heavy burden in his heart and his cold eyes reflect that burden. He has lost the only people he considers family. Now, the island of Asterisk threatens to harm the people he has come to care for. What actions will the Raijin take to protect them? M for violence. OC-centric, canon characters.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello guys. Had this idea after reading the Light Novels. This is my third fic and my first Gakusen Toshi Asterisk fic. There may be mistakes but if you point them out in reviews or PMs, I will go back and correct them. Anyway, enough rambling. Let's get to the fic.**

 **Disclaimer: Gakusen Toshi Asterisk belongs to Yuu Miyazaki. I own my OCs and this fic.**

"Asterisk" - Speech

" _Asterisk_ " _\- Speaking in whisper_

 _Asterisk - Thoughts_

-Asterisk- _\- Dreams, flashbacks_

" **Asterisk" - Machines and electronics**

Asterisk - Names of weapons, titles

 **The Rank 0 of Asterisk**

 **Chapter 1**

 **A Date and Memories of the Past**

Many years ago, the earth was struck by a meteor shower. It devastated the earth, decimating many countries and destroying population. After the meteor shower, the Integrated Enterprise Foundation rose, taking control of the world's economies and many kingdoms of the old rose to their former glory.

The meteor shower, Invertia, also brought upon the birth of a new race of humans, the Genestella, people who could manipulate an energy known as mana. In the Genestella, those who had special abilities were even fewer. They were the Strega and Dante and they were treated as very rare.

Many Genestella resided in the floating city called Rikka, honing their abilities and participating in competitions called Festa, to have their wishes granted and to test themselves. This city, Rikka, along with its six schools, was known worldwide as Asterisk.

 **Sirius Dome, Lindwurm, Rikka**

A young girl with violet hair crashed against the wall of the stadium and her violet eyes widened slightly in pain as she gasped.

Sigrdrifa Sylvia Lyyneheym stood up slowly, wiping off a small trickle of blood from her mouth. She glared at her opponent, Ereshkigal Orphelia Landlufen, her white hair and red eyes making her look cold and distant.

In the audience, in one of the VIP boxes of Seidoukan Academy sat two students. The male student has bluish black hair and bluish-purple eyes. A dragon-shaped pendant hung around his neck. He wore the Seidoukan Academy uniform, with the sole difference being that it had a white and blue color scheme. The young teen was Tatsuya Narukami Hikaru, Raijin and the strongest student of Seidoukan Academy.

The female student was Claudia Enfield, Seidoukan Academy's Student Council President and Rank 2. Claudia has long, wavy blonde hair with a split bangs at the crown of her head, and purple eyes. She wears the Seidoukan Academy uniform jacket, but paired with a blouse with a frilly high collar and three-frilled sleeves, and a two-tiered ruffled skirt. She wears dark boots, and stockings with garters.

"Hikaru-kun, what are you thinking?" Claudia asked, taking her eyes off the match.

"Sylvie will lose. Ereshkigal is too powerful for her to handle. However…" He glared at the white-haired Poisonous Witch, who sent another hand of miasma at the Melodious Witch and threw her against the wall once more.

"I see. She could have struck Sylvia-san's badge and destroyed it from the beginning." "That's not it, Claudia. She did strike her badge at the beginning. It was only a matter of time. Instead, she chose to continue attacking her."

His hands balled into fists before Claudia put a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, please."

"Sorry. I will head over to take a closer look." He walked towards the door and disappeared from the room. A few moments later, he emerged near the stadium, standing near one of the stairwells.

Claudia sighed. "I can only hope he won't do anything reckless."

The beating continued for a few minutes like that as one of the announcers babbled. **"Such an exciting fight! However, it seems that Ereshkigal is not holding back. Sylvia Lyyneheym is being pummeled ruthlessly and cannot fight back. Is this the end?"**

Hikaru grit his teeth and punched the wall beside him, making a crater form.

"This is just too much." A deep voice said from behind him. He acknowledged them with a nod without turning back. "Ernest, Laetitia."

"Why are you not stopping the match?" The female blonde asked.

"I want to stop the match. However, Sylvie's feelings will be hurt if I do that. Unless she wants to stop the match herself, I don't want to make that choice for her."

Another crash was heard as Sylvia was launched into a wall again.

Hikaru subconsciously activated his Dante abilities and lightning danced around him.

Suddenly, he ran towards the ring as Sylvia stood up again while a blade made of miasma flew towards her at neck-breaking speeds. The low sound of the badge shattering was not heard by many and the blade continued to move forward.

Suddenly, a blur clashed against the barrier set up around the ring, the sound of the gasps drowned by the sound of a roaring dragon which destroyed the barrier. A blue and white blur appeared before the Sigrdrifa, blocking Ereshkigal's attack. Blood spilled on her and on the ground, dying parts of her hair and uniform red. The light from the barrier exploding faded slowly.

"Hikaru-kun!" Sylvia cried out in shock and fear as Hikaru stood before her, his back turned on Orphelia, pierced through his chest by the blade of miasma.

" **What is the meaning of this?!"**

"Shut up! You are too goddamn annoying!" Hikaru shouted over the voice of the announcer.

He coughed up blood as the miasma spread inside his body before the blade disappeared. "Ereshkigal, the match is over. Leave, now." Hikaru said coldly, his eyes glaring at her. She stepped back involuntarily in fear before asking, "Why did you step in and interfere?"

The same question was asked by another voice, the new voice belonging to the Chairman of the Steering Committee.

Hikaru looked at the man who had entered. He had brown hair and eyes and was wearing a formal suit.

"Chairman Madiath Mesa." He acknowledged with a nod, standing up slowly.

"Due to your actions, Miss Lyyneheym may very well be disqualified due to outside interference, along with you. She may even be expelled in the worst case."

Lightning danced across his arms and slowly covered his form as Hikaru repeated, "Disqualification and expulsion?" He laughed before saying, "You won't do that, Chairman." "Why will I not do that?"

"Simple. Sylvia Lyyneheym's badge was broken already by the time I destroyed the barrier. In that case, it turns into a case of defense, not outside interference in the Festa. So you cannot hold her responsible for my actions."

"That is true." "This is the rule of the Festa. If the student's badge is broken, then the attack should be stopped. However, that is not the case. So I didn't break any rules. The only rule I broke was outside interference and possible danger to the audience." He explained calmly before coughing blood again.

"You are right on all counts." Madiath said. "And in this case, Miss Lyyneheym will not be held responsible. However, you will be disqualified. And your participation in today's final-"

"-will be cancelled and Ereshkigal will be declared the winner, with Sylvia the runner-up. Now, anything else?" He interrupted and said, "I have to go to the hospital now."

"A pity. After you reached the finals… Your wish cannot be fulfilled-" The Chairman said in a low voice before being interrupted. "It's not something the Integrated Enterprise Foundation can grant me." He said finally before saying, "Sylvie, come with me."

He then turned around, walking towards the competitor's rooms, leaving shocked expressions on the people behind.

Claudia met him halfway and she bonked him on the head. "Reckless idiot!"

He only exclaimed, "Ouch!" half-heartedly before a medical team personnel interrupted them.

"Sir, we request that you come with us for treatment of your wound."

"Treat Lyyneheym first." "Sir, her injuries are not as sev-"

A blast of electricity interrupted him. "Treat her now if you don't want to die!" Hikaru shouted, his eyes a blood-red colour.

"She is probably suffering from poison damage." He said. "Get her a fresh supply of blood. And do it quick. If I see that she is injured or not receiving any proper treatment, I will make sure you die in the most violent and painful way possible."

The scared woman immediately replied, "Y-yes!" and dragged Sylvia away. Claudia then dragged him away towards the medical ward, forcing him to lay down. She then began speaking to a nurse, practically ordering her, with the tone of authority she used.

"Please transfuse blood to him. There's a high chance he's been poisoned. And also bring bandages and antiseptic."

As the nurses left, she sighed. "And after you said that you would win this Festa and all…"

"Woman, I'm injured and that's what you say to me?" He asked dryly.

He let his Prana run through his body, acting on the wound in his chest.

"What are you doing?" Claudia asked, puzzled.

"Healing." He said, not giving any further explanation.

"You really are overprotective, you know. Jumping in the way of an attack like that."

"She is the one of the few people I trust and love, Enfield. You know that too." He said solemnly and Claudia didn't say anything afterwards, only nodding gently and watched over Hikaru during the course of his treatment.

 **Next day**

Hikaru was in his dorm room, which was fairly big and comfortable enough to belong to a five star hotel. Sylvia was standing in the doorway and had a small bag in her hands.

"Sylvie, I've told you that you don't need my permission to enter my room. Take a seat. I'll be out in a few minutes." His voice came from the shower inside.

She walked in and sat down meekly on the couch, which was quite comfortable. Hikaru came out a few minutes later, dressed in a white T-shirt and a pair of jeans. He sat opposite Sylvie and waited for her to speak.

"H-Hikaru-kun, I'm so sorry."

That was a surprise to him. "Huh?"

"Because of me, you got hurt."

He didn't say anything, waiting for her to continue.

"And you were disqualified too. I know that you trained very hard for the Festa. You lost your chance because of m-"

Hikaru silenced her by putting his finger on her lips. "Baka Sylvie." He said kindly. "The Festa doesn't matter."

"B-but-"

"No buts. I said that it doesn't matter. And who cares about disqualification? I knew that it could very well happen. But I made the decision to interfere of my own volition."

"Even if you say that!"

"It's alright, Sylvie. Nothing happened to me." He said calmingly and pulled her into a hug as she was on the verge of tears.

She broke down at his touch and sobbed into his shirt while he held onto her. _She must have been scared. Oh… who am I kidding? Sylvie was always worried when I got hurt, even slightly. There's no way she would have been alright after seeing me get so badly hurt._

He looked at the bag which she was carrying before looking at the door.

 _Idiotic eavesdroppers. Good thing that I had my room specifically soundproofed._

He released her after she had significantly calmed down, her sobs stopping, and said, "Sylvie, you brought cake, right?"

"Hikaru-kun, that is the best thing I can make. Of course I did!" She said, proudly puffing her chest with pride.

He ruffled her hair in answer and said, "You can open the box. Meanwhile, I'll deal with our little eavesdroppers here."

He then walked towards the door, lightning dancing around his fingers and opened the door.

A teen with brown hair and eyes and a scar on his left cheek faceplanted as the door he was leaning on was suddenly opened. Many others behind him also fell down in a similar way.

"Looks like the Newspaper Club is trying hard, huh, Yabuki Eishirou?" Hikaru asked with a smirk, while cracking his knuckles threateningly.

The teen at the front looked up to see Hikaru's hands crackling with lightning. "Hehe… I guess. This looked like a scoop."

Hikaru gave his hand to the teen, letting him stand up, before gripping it _very_ tightly.

"ARGHH!" Eishirou shouted in pain. "Just so you know, Eishirou, I am spending some time with the people I love. So, I will say this just once and only once. Scram!"

The group of people are disappeared instantly, clouds of dust left in their wake.

He sighed and slammed the door closed, locking it for good measure. He turned back to Sylvie, who placed a pure chocolate cake on the glass table.

Hikaru smiled as he tasted the cake before ruffling Sylvie's hair again.

"Hikaru-kun! I spent a lot of time on my hair!" She exclaimed indignantly with a pout.

Hikaru only smiled before feeding her the cake. "It's tasty, Sylvie. Like always."

They finished the cake in no time and were sitting side-by-side, watching the TV.

"It's Madiath Mesa. Looks like he's presenting the award for winning the Festa." Hikaru commented and then switched the channel. "Boring."

He continued switching channels before settling on a show that Sylvie watched eagerly. Hikaru then suddenly asked, "Sylvie, are you alright?"

She seemed to be surprised at his question but answered anyway, "I am, Hikaru-kun. Thanks to you."

Hikaru then nodded and stood up, going towards the bathroom. He removed the T-shirt and looked at the scar on his chest.

 _I can feel it. The effect of Ereshkigal's miasma. I was poisoned at that time. And the location was near my heart too. Even with my accelerated healing, I can't heal that easily._ He looked at the inactive Lux strapped to his wrist. _I know that he healed me. But why? He isn't giving me any answers that I need. And my Prana… I need to look at this from a different perspective._

He filed those thoughts away for another time and returned to the living room. He smiled as Sylvia was humming a tune, while her Prana rose around her.

He sat down on the couch next to her, her Prana covering him. He relaxed as the mystical and familiar energy covered him, soothing and gentle. His eyes closed and his breathing steadied as sleep claimed him.

 **5 hours later**

Claudia entered the room silently, making sure to not give away any hints of her presence. She tiptoed to the couch and her lips twisted to a smirk as she pulled a camera out of nowhere, taking a few photos from different angles.

She smiled darkly. "Fufufu…"

Both of the teens were asleep, with Hikaru's head in Sylvie's lap. Sylvia seemed to be petting his hair as she fell asleep.

 _Now I have good blackmail material on Hikaru._

She left just as silently. _I didn't think that being the Student Council President was this useful._

 **Next day**

Sylvia woke up from her sleep as the sun filtered through the window and hit her face. She yawned and stood up. Or tried to, anyway. A weight on her lap stopped her, making her look down to see Hikaru sleeping peacefully. With a small smile, she slowly moved, leaving him sleeping on the couch. She then went towards the bathroom and looked at the set of clothes in the walk-in closet that Hikaru had bought for her.

She stepped into the shower and turned on the water, letting the hot water run down her body.

Meanwhile, Hikaru woke up from his sleep, yawning before standing up. He walked towards the bathroom, not noticing Sylvie's discarded clothes in his sleepy state and opened the door.

Sylvie was drying her hair off with a towel while the steam slowly rose up. Suddenly, the door was opened and Hikaru stood in the doorway. She let out a shriek, covering herself with her hands as Hikaru shut the door immediately, cracking the glass from the force.

She exited the shower a few minutes later, dressed in a simple blouse and jeans, along with her signature wristband. She had a deep scarlet blush on her face and looked at the floor.

Hikaru immediately bowed all the while saying, "Sorry Sylvie! I forgot that you were here!" She didn't register his words for a few moments before a devious smirk crept onto her face.

"Y-you forgot that I was here!" She said in a fake angry voice along with a pout. "And you even walked in on me in the shower!"

Hikaru winced with each accusation.

"Hikaru-kun, I'm upset!" Hikaru groaned internally. "I am sorry, Sylvie. I will do anything, so, forgive me, please."

She stayed silent for a good duration of 5 minutes and then finally said, "I will forgive you if you do everything I say."

Hikaru nodded immediately. _Best to not keep her angry for a long period of time._ "Anything you command, Sylvie."

She smirked devilishly before schooling her features.

"Then, get freshened up. We are going out!"

Hikaru sighed internally and walked off. _I somehow don't like the feeling of this. Why do I get the feeling that I will regret going along with her demands?_ He questioned himself.

A few minutes later, they were standing on the balcony of his room. "Do we really have to do this, Sylvie?"

"Yes." She answered stubbornly.

Hikaru sighed and then jumped over the railing, holding Sylvie bridal-style. He applied his Prana to his legs and stabilised his fall, while using his Prana to slow down their fall.

Unfortunately, a few students were on the ground and had therefore seen him dropping down onto the ground.

Murmurs spread through the crowd immediately.

"Hey, did you see that?"

"Wasn't that Narukami-san?"

"Hikaru-san was carrying someone in his arms right?"

"Kyaa! Hikaru-senpai is carrying Sylvia Lyyneheym in his arms!"

Hikaru groaned in annoyance before activating one of his abilities.

Lightning surrounded both him and Sylvia and they disappeared instantly.

Meanwhile, Sylvia was surprised slightly at the speed before recognising the technique.

"Hikaru-kun, was that-"

"-Denko Sekka? Yup. It's too troublesome to deal with them." He said and set her down.

"So where do you want to go, Sylvie hime-sama?" He asked teasingly, receiving a pout in return. "The Central District."

They left the premises of Seidoukan Academy together, Sylvia clinging to his arm.

 **Business District**

Hikaru and Sylvia exited the train. "God, that was tiring." The male grumbled at the attention that they were receiving.

 _Leave it to Sylvie to choose the punishment._

They sat in a small cafe off the main street and gave their orders. He growled at the sound of shutters closing and the sight of the flash going off. Meanwhile, Sylvia took it all in stride, waving at them with a smile.

"Hora, Hikaru-kun, wave for your fans."

Hikaru wisely chose to not respond and calmly ate his food, internally screaming bloody murder at the crowd while thinking of ways to disperse the crowd without hurting any of them.

 _Killing them… nope. Maiming them… nope. Breaking one or two of their arms… nope. Use Denko Sekka… Sylvie will kill me if I ditch her or if I carry her away from her fans. Scare the fans away… Sylvie will kill me. And she is doing all this on purpose. Goddammit Sylvie. I will get my revenge one day._

His ordeal continued for the better part of 2 hours and when the crowd dispersed, Hikaru let out a tired sigh.

"Now that breakfast is finished, let's go shopping!"

He bit back a groan at her happy expression. _At the very least, she is happy. I can bear this for a little longer then._

He let himself be dragged to a famous clothing store, the girl smiling happily.

Sylvia chose many sets of clothes, trying them on and asked for Hikaru's opinion. After her selection was done, Hikaru cried internally. _My wallet is already feeling light._

She then suddenly dragged him off to the men's section and called one of them over.

"My friend wants a custom outfit, mainly for battle. It should be representing Seidoukan Academy, the color scheme, white and blue. Two of them. And also a formal suit. It should be easier to move in."

"Yes. Sir, if you would come here, we will take your measurements."

Hikaru sighed as Sylvia leaned in to whisper, "Hikaru-kun, it will be over faster if you don't resist."

After 30 gruelling minutes of horrors, the two students walked out of the store.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it Hikaru-kun?", Sylvia said, her voice ever so saccharinely sweet.

Instead of dignifying her teasing with a response, he simply upped his pace, causing Sylvia to have to lightly jog to keep up with him, pouting all the while.

She then dragged him to a park and sat down on a bench beside him, before taking a box from her bag.

"Here, Hikaru-kun. I made sandwiches for us."

Hikaru accepted one. "Hmm… grilled, with cheese and pieces of chicken in it."

"I thought I'd try something new." She answered back with a grin, some ketchup sticking to the side of her mouth.

He cleaned it off with a tissue, saying, "Don't talk while eating. Also, be more careful. There's ketchup on your face."

They were interrupted by a ball hitting Hikaru's leg.

He looked down to see a beach ball at his legs. A few young children ran over to him, searching for the ball. Hikaru gave a small smile and picked up the be ball before throwing it to the children. Sylvia smiled at the action as the children thanked him and ran back to play.

He suddenly stood up and activated his power discreetly. "Who's there?" His question was answered by a group of people coming out of the trees. He counted 7. All of them were dressed in black and were wearing black gloves and black masks.

 _Genestella!_

"Sylvie, stand behind me. Be on your guard." His voice was cold and serious, his orders brief.

He then turned to the men in black and asked coldly, "Who are you and what are your intentions?"

"We cannot disclose our identity. As for our intentions… prepare to die, Raijin."

 _They plan to kill me. But they don't appear to be from a school. Independent assassins… then it would be Rewolf, I guess. And Sylvie is here too. I may have to kill them._

"Sylvie, go back to the station. Claudia should be near the store two blocks from the station. Tell her the situation. Immediately."

"But… Hikaru-kun!"

"Now!" He shouted. He slid into a stance, his katana-type Lux in his hands. "Blade of the Cursed Flames, Kagutsuchi!" He positioned the blade in a reverse grip stance as the pitch-black blade of the Lux materialised fully, blue flames dancing in the tip of the blade. He leveled his sword at his waist and said again, "Sylvie, go now!"

"B-but!"

He then glared at the 7 assassins with cold eyes. "You fools interrupted my quality time with my family. That is not a mistake though. That's a sin!"

As he felt Sylvia turn around and run back, reluctantly, one of them, apparently the leader, said, "Mongoose, kill her. And everyone in this park. Leave no witnesses."

As one of the men disappeared in a burst of speed, the blue haired teen appeared behind the fleeing girl and entered a defensive stance, stopping the man's weapon, a double-bladed axe, mid-strike. "You fools are not getting past me."

He used Denko Sekka to appear behind his attacker before executing a roundhouse kick. As the man fell down, knives made of lightning stabbed his body in various places.

The scream from his lips was silenced as a knife found its way to his neck, ending his life.

Hikaru turned around just in time to block an attack from a broadsword.

"You know, I am pissed off right now and I don't want to hurt you so why don't you surrender?" He asked rhetorically, disappearing from view. The man with the broadsword fell to the ground as a lightning bolt struck him, thoroughly electrocuting him.

"Two down."

The sound of lightning crackling filled the air as his hair became spiky from the charge in the air, the teen himself being covered in a blue lightning.

He then brought his palm forward before disappearing in a burst of lightning. An instant later, he stood before one of the assassins who stood at the corner, his hand around the older man's neck. In an impressive show of strength, the teen lifted the assassin into the air before slamming him down while releasing a burst of electricity directly to the neck.

Smoke rose from the burned neck of the now dead man as his killer turned around to the group of assassins hired to kill him, his hands crackling with lightning and his face set into a cruel smirk, his eyes glaring at the men dressed in black.

"You can't defeat me." He said in a matter-of-fact tone and ran towards them, lightning dancing across the blade of his katana. Two of the men ran at him, a claymore in each hand. It was in vain as two arms fell to the ground along with the two swords, the two weapons dissipating back to their usual forms.

A second later, blood spilled onto the ground as two bodies crumpled on the floor, blood pooling around them.

"Only 2 more left." He put his hands together, a gap between them, while the one of the two assassins charged at him, a double-bladed axe in his hands.

The distance between them shortened considerably as the man raised the axe over his head, looking to chop off the head of his target.

 _It won't work. Rakurai_. Bolts of electricity hit the attacking man. "And you are dead." His words came true as the blue lightning bolts pierced through the black clothes at various locations, including the heart, electrocuting the man for further measure.

The corpse fell to the ground, smoking from the burns, the disgusting smell of burning flesh filling the air. Hikaru then turned towards the leader.

"Will you tell me what I want to know now?" Hikaru asked, flicking his sword, the blood dripping from his blade now staining the ground.

Just as he entered his stance, he felt his body stop, along with the surroundings themselves. He used his Prana to cover himself, shielding him partially from the effects of the powers.

"Captain Helga Lindwall…" Hikaru muttered and then turned slightly. _Looks like the Stjarnagarm is here as well. And I can sense Sylvie and Claudia too, Eishirou following them._

He relaxed as the strongest Strega, Chronotemis, stopped her ability, allowing him to move. Not a second later, he jumped back as a spear hit where he stood.

"Hey, that's dangerous, you know?" A small blast of lightning hit the leader of the assassins. As the man fell down, Hikaru said, "Relax. You are just paralyzed below your waist. You can still talk. And I will ask you only one thing. Who sent you?"

"I won't tell you."

"You will answer him." The Guard Captain's voice came from behind the teen.

Hikaru smirked and cracked his knuckles as he walked over to the fallen man.

"Stop, Raijin." One of the Stjarnagarm said. "Don't worry. I will just get the info I want." Hikaru said and punched the leader in the gut before lifting him up by his hair. The man started to twitch involuntarily as he was shocked by the teen's abilities.

"I will up the volts for each time you don't answer. At a specific point, you will break and tell me what I want anyways. But it is gonna be very painful. You can take the easy way or the painful way."

 **10 minutes later**

The leader assassin lay on the ground, twitching as leftover static shocked him now and then. Hikaru then said, "Now that I know it was Rewolf who sent these idiots, I will be on my way."

"Wait. We have to interrogate you-"

"-I was in the park with my friend. They encountered us and I had my friend contact while I held them back. I tried to hold them back long enough for the Stjarnagarm to arrive, however, they were too powerful for me to stop with peaceful methods. Regrettably, I had to kill everyone except their leader and was about to engage the leader in battle before Guard Captain Lindwall arrived. The rest, you people know. If you would let me go, I need to rest as I have some work tomorrow." Hikaru interrupted smoothly and then walked away, gesturing for Sylvie and Claudia to lead the way.

"Captain! According to protocol he sh-"

"He didn't do anything wrong. It was a case of self-defence. Don't make a big mess out of this. Finish it quickly. No media or intelligence organisation should get a hold of this situation." She ordered crisply. _It's not like we can defeat him alone without any casualties. He is the one who was able to defeat the whole Void Order 5 years ago without any support. If we fight here, we'll lose._

"Hiiragi, clean up this me quickly."

 **Next day**

Hikaru stood before a gravestone near a tree. "Setsura-nee, Arashi, seems like I had to kill again. But still, my dream… _our_ dream, I'll fulfill it. No matter what, I'll protect them. Sylvie, I'll protect her in your stead, Arashi. Even if I have to shed the blood of the whole world, I'll protect her."

 **1 hour later**

 **Hotel Elnath**

 **Rikka Garden Conference**

Six individuals sat around a table, almost all of them having another person standing behind or beside them.

This was the Rikka Garden Conference, held among the six schools of Asterisk. Around the table sat the Student Council Presidents of each school. Behind them stood their Vice-Presidents, Hikaru behind Claudia, Laetitia behind Ernest and an orange-haired teen behind the president of Jie Long Seventh Institute.

"So what is the purpose of this meeting, Enfield?" A red haired man asked, quite rudely. Hikaru sighed. "Dirk Eberwein, I would appreciate it _and not kill you_ if you addressed our president with respect." His voice was cold and filled with venom.

"And the reason behind the meeting is… well, there are more than 2 reasons. First, in light of upcoming work, we are preponing the meeting. Second is this-" He threw the masks of the assassins from yesterday along with their photos on the table. Some of the masks had blood stains on them. "-these bloody masks are from 7 hired independent assassins, hired to kill me. I killed 6 of them, excluding the leader. After some interrogation, he spilled the beans. The person who hired them was from Rewolf. Some guy wearing a black hooded cloak." Hikaru said, as some of them flinched at the mention of the killing.

"Then why are you still here?" Banyuu Tenra Fan Xinglou, the president of Jie Long, asked.

"They were not normal humans. They were Genestella. Since I had evidence that I was the target of the attack, I had a good reason to kill them in self-defence. Couple that with the wish I had made as the winner of the previous Festa and they let me off with but a slap on the wrist." _And they wouldn't dare cross me, not with Asterisk at stake._

"What does that have to do with the meeting?" The Tyrant asked.

"Nothing. I just wanted to give you a friendly suggestion. If you can, investigate who was behind this, that'd be in all of our best interests. But I don't think it will be easy. So I just want you to control your students. We wouldn't want any 'accidents' happening now, would we?"

Claudia and Xinglou smirked in unison at his words and the underlying implication they had.

"Is that a threat, brat?!" Dirk Eberwein shouted, anger clearly visible in his features.

Hikaru laughed at that remark. "Whatever do you mean?" He asked innocently. "I was merely giving you a suggestion. I don't think that counts as a threat."

"You-"

"Now then, moving on, shall we proceed with the meeting?" Hikaru interrupted the red haired man again, making him fume.

The underlying meaning in Hikaru's words was clear to everyone present.

 _Ever pull this shit again and I will slaughter them. I will totally destroy you if you ever mess with me. And don't try to threaten me, because I can kill you without any effort._

Hikaru simply leaned on a pillar and watched the proceedings. _Let's send this message across to all of them. The Raijin is not to be messed with._

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Seidoukan Academy**

A young teen with purple hair walked along the road, deep in thought. _I was invited here as a special student but why me specifically?_

He remembered the blue-haired teen whom he called brother.

 _Hikaru-nii, if what he says is true, then nee-san was here. If there is a chance of finding nee-san, then it is in Asterisk._

Ayato caught it almost by reflex as it fluttered down from the sky.

Appearing to shine brilliantly in the first rays of the early summer sun, looking for an instant so much like a snow-white feather - what he grasped in his hand was nothing quite so spectacular; it was just a handkerchief.

It seemed a little worn, and closer inspection revealed the vestiges of past repairs.

At the same time, a faintly panicked voice came from the other side of the fence beside the footpath he was walking on.

"Ahhh! Of all the things that could happen, why at a time like this...!"

Ayato looked up to the source, finding an open window on the fourth floor of the building.

 **Meanwhile**

Hikaru was taking the scenic path to the main building, his bag held by one hand, his other hand in his pocket.

He yawned sleepily before taking a deep breath. The birdsong rang through the bright green trees surrounding him as the sun rays filtered through the leaves.

 _I should have woken up later. What the hell did Claudia want with me at this time anyway? It's still too early._

A sudden explosion destroyed his peaceful morning and he turned towards the direction. "The girls' dorm?"

He ran in the direction while using Denko Sekka, only to be blocked by a crowd.

"Huh?" He tapped a student on the shoulder and asked her, "What's going on?"

The student seemed annoyed before noticing who he was and said, "It's Gluhen Rose and she is fighting with a new student."

 _New student?_

He moved through the crowd and watched the duel from the front. A purple-haired boy was standing in the center of the crowd along with a pink-haired girl.

"Ayato?" Hikaru muttered as he realised what happened from the conversation going on between them.

 _Ayato doesn't know much about Asterisk and he has to fight Julis on his first day. I don't know whose luck is worse, mine or his._

"Say, can't we just talk about this?"

"You peeked on a maiden changing clothes! Burning you to a crisp is the right thing to do."

"But it was an accident! I came to return your handkerchief!"

"That is that and this is this!"

As the duel started, Hikaru watched with interest. _If Ayato is as strong as he was, then he would be able to win or at least fight her to a draw._

Julis started with Longiflorum, which were dodged by Ayato, barely.

 _Hmm… she's fighting seriously. However, Ayato is… there is something wrong with his Prana._

As a big fireball headed towards the transfer student, the gallery hastily ran backwards while Hikaru stood in his place calmly, creating a small shield of Prana around him.

As Ayato tried to dodge, Julis calculated the trajectory.

"Explode!"

The big fireball exploded and the sound was deafening.

"Amagiri Shinmeiryuu First Sword Futatsumizuchi!" Ayato exclaimed. He slashed the sword two times, creating a cross, deflecting the fiery explosion.

He lunged at the Petalblaze Witch, shouting, "Look out!"

At the same time, Hikaru appeared before the two students, his hand moving out to catch an arrow of light, his face set into a cold glare.

The arrow made of mana dissipated and he looked at the crowd. _I know the general area but I can't risk the other students getting injured. I have to let them go this time._

Meanwhile, Ayato and Julis were on the ground.

"Hey he pushed the princess down!"

"That's a passionate approach!"

Julis slapped Ayato after an exchange of words.

At the same time, Claudia entered the scene.

"Though this is very exciting, I have to stop this here."

Hikaru turned around and nodded at her. Claudia then said, "I am afraid that I have to declare this duel void."

"Claudia, by what authority do you interfere?"

"Why, by my authority as the president of Seidoukan, of course."

She then continued with a pleasant smile.

"Though Ayato has had the paperwork submitted and his badge authenticated, he still needs to go through a final transfer paperwork. Essentially, he isn't a student of this academy yet."

Ayato sighed in relief, _Safe,_ while Julis sent a frustrated glance at her.

"Now then, if you will follow me, Ayato." Claudia said while Hikaru said, "Enfield, I'll meet you after homeroom."

She nodded before walking away, Ayato following her.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Seidoukan Academy**

Ayato walked alongside Claudia, looking around at the scenery. He caught notice of a particular classroom which had students in it.

"Classes at 7:30?" He questioned the woman beside him.

"Those are remedial classes for the students. Normal classes start at 9:00."

"I see."

"By the way, we are of the same age, so it's alright to speak informally."

"I see, Claudia-san." He spoke nervously.

"Claudia will do." She said with a sweet smile.

"Right off the bat is…"

"Clau. Di. A!" She said forcefully, with a pout, making him raise his hands in surrender.

"Al-alright, Claudia." He said. _Hikaru-nii was right. She is_ very _forceful._

They entered a room, authenticated by Claudia's badge. Ayato could describe the room with only one word: extravagant. The floor of the entryway was covered in a dark brown leather rug. A depiction of Seidoukan's grounds was hung on the wall. Placed before a large window, with room to spare, was a heavy oaken conference desk with matching chairs.

 _Is this a Student Council Office or a boardroom for some large corporation?_

He remembered Hikaru's words about the council office.

" _Remember, Ayato. The Office and every official room will be extravagant. Don't show too much surprise at that."_

Claudia took a seat at the table with practised ease and tapped on the desk, starting up a screen and manipulating the projected screen.

"Once again, Amagiri Ayato, welcome to Seidoukan Academy. And, welcome to Asterisk."

The room disappeared as a projection filled his vision. He found himself floating in the sky, over an island. _Asterisk_ , his mind supplied.

Six panels floated around him, one for each of the six combat schools of the island.

"As a special invitee transfer student, we of Seidoukan Academy expect only one thing out of you, and that is victory."

He gazed upon the panels as she spoke. "Defeat Galahadsworth, subdue Arlequint, subjugate Jie Long, overpower Rewolf and triumph over Queenvail. To obtain victory in the Festa."

At that moment, Hikaru entered the office, pushing the door open and closing it with a bang.

"Ayato, good to see you."

"Hikaru-nii! Finally!"

"Hikaru-kun." Hikaru nodded at the greeting. "Where was I? Ah yes, we expect you to ob-"

"Ayato, I searched for Haruka-nee and I didn't find her. Winning the Festa is the only way for you to find her now."

Claudia pouted at the interruption. "Hikaru-kun, it's rude to interru-"

She was interrupted again by a call. "Yeah, it's me. What do you need, Nestor?"

" **Hikaru, I need some help. A few people got injured. Need your expertise."**

"Fine. I'll be there in 5 minutes." He then turned to Ayato and Claudia. "Ayato, you and I are in the same class. We will talk afterwards. Enfield, we'll have to hold a meeting to discuss the recent incidents."

"Alright, Hikaru-nii."

"Understood. I'll notify the others."

Hikaru then disappeared from the room.

Claudia then stood from her seat, walking towards Ayato. "Well, that is it. Everything related to your sister, Hikaru-kun will talk to you about that. Now, for the final procedure…"

She suddenly hugged him from behind.

"Cl-Claudia!"

"At long last… at long last, we finally meet."

Her voice was melancholic and filled with a sense of nostalgia, leaving Ayato surprised and shocked.

"Um, Claudia?"

She separated from him. "Fufu, that was just a joke."

"A joke…?"

" _Though Ayato has had submitted the paperwork and his badge authenticated, he still needs to go through a final transfer paperwork."_

"Um, Claudia, by any chance, is this the 'final transfer paperwork' that you talked about?"

With a giggle, she replied, "Ah, that was a lie."

"A lie?"

"A perfectly justifiable one in my opinion. Julis… that girl is a stickler for rules. If it is a rule, then she will follow it."

"Ah. If that is all, then, I'll take your leave."

"If you need any help, you can always ask me."

 **Seidoukan Academy**

 **Floor 15**

Ayato opened the door and walked in towards the teacher's desk.

Yatsuzaki Machiaverus Kyouko stood at the desk, a nail bat in her hand. She introduced Ayato, rather roughly, before ordering him to take an empty seat.

Hikaru smirked as he noticed a fact, one which was noticed by the purple-haired teen too.

There was only one empty seat, and it was right next to Julis', making Ayato gulp in fear.

As she started taking attendance, Hikaru yawned, taking a small nap. Once she finished, he woke up and sent a small bolt of lightning which went past her hair, dissipating before it hit the board.

"Narukami, you are a 100 years too early to hit me." She said.

"Kyouko-sensei, I didn't think you were that old." Hikaru retorted with a teasing smirk on his face.

The effect was instantaneous. A bolt of lightning, similar to his own, hit the place where he was seated, while he himself was standing on the window ledge.

"Come here you brat! I'm going to kill you." She said, anger clear in her voice.

"I'll pass, Kyouko-sensei. Why don't you pick Eishirou this time?" He asked, making the brown-haired teen shout "Hey!" in indignance.

Hikaru meanwhile mock-waved before swandiving down. Many of the students, particularly his fanclub, gasped.

A burst of lightning passed the window and Hikaru appeared outside the room, standing on a platform of Prana.

Meanwhile, Eishirou was standing outside the room, holding buckets filled with heavy rocks in each hand, along with weights strapped to each of his limbs and balancing another bucket on his head, filled with water. He swore bloody vengeance against the Raijin.

 **Student Council Room**

Hikaru entered the room through the window and said, "President, it's getting more serious."

Claudia too had a serious and troubled expression on her face similar to his, along with a subtle wince at the use of her title.

"Many students who were planning on participating in the Phoenix Festa are now incapacitated or unwilling to participate as a result of the attacks. It seems they're purposely targeting potential Festa candidates as they make up the bulk if the victims so far."

"Whoever is doing this is a student of Seidoukan cooperating with another school."

"Who may be the suspects?"

"Queenvail and Galahadsworth have too much to lose and too little to gain. So they are out." Hikaru said, listing off.

"And Jie Long can be removed too. That leaves Arlequint and Rewolf."

"How is the investigation of the Kageboshi proceeding?"

"No leads. The culprit is damaging the surroundings too much and the victims themselves were attacked from the back or from long-range. So no description. We have very little to go on."

"I see. That's troubling. *Sigh* Anyway, what do you think about Ayato?"

"You aren't going to include him in your plans, are you?" He asked, voice slightly cold.

"No, no." She held up her hands in a surrender. "I didn't even tell him anything about his sister." _Geez, why can't you trust me a bit, Hikaru-kun?_

"Fine. I want to be there when he's testing for the Ser-Veresta."

"The Ser-Veresta? Who said anything abo-"

"Woman, I know you. And I know him. I want to be there when he's testing for the Ser-Veresta."

With his piece said, the Raijin left the room in a burst of lightning. The blonde sighed as he left and massaged her temples.

"Hikaru-kun is becoming ever-distant and now this mess…"

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

A younger Hikaru stood frozen, his face and hair stained with blood. Blood pooled around his feet and stained the tatami mats in the room. His eyes were widened in fear and the only image reflected in his eyes was of his parents.

His mother and father were lying on the ground in a pool of blood, almost dead. A man with a blank face mask, wearing a black hooded cloak was standing over them. There was an emblem of something on the cloak.

The man turned to the young boy, stating in a cold voice, "So that is the son, huh? Good for me that I didn't have to go searching for you."

As the man took slow steps towards the frozen boy, two hands caught his legs, stopping him.

"Hikaru, run!" Both of his parents shouted at the same time. A spark of lightning and ice erupted around the man before expanding outwards.

"We will not let you harm our son!" They said in unison and the ball exploded, throwing the boy and the man away in opposite directions, along with destroying the house they were in and causing a big explosion of sound and fire, along with various shards of ice stabbed in various places.

The young boy fell off the building, shards of ice in his body, now unconscious.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Hikaru woke up with a start, sweat rolling down his face.

 _That nightmare again?_

He stood up slowly and walked towards the bathroom, stepping into the shower.

Even when he was in the class, he seemed deep in thought, not even noticing the murmurs spreading among the students at the sight of Julis returning Ayato's greeting.

He clenched his fist before looking out the window. Eishirou slapped a hand on his back, or tried to anyway, only for the blue-haired teen to stop it by grabbing the brown-haired teen's wrist tightly.

As he cried out in pain, Hikaru released him, "Sorry, Eishirou." and jumped out of the window again as the teacher entered.

 _Why did I see that nightmare again?_

Hikaru was still deep in thought and recalled his first meeting with Ayato and Haruka.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Blue eyes gazed at a white ceiling as their owner took in his surroundings. "A hospital?" He muttered and tried to sit up. Keyword, tried.

"Huh?" His body was held in place by restraints tying him to the bed, which were quite strong. He looked to his right to see two chairs with one of them empty and the other occupied by a blue-haired girl, her hair tied into two low pigtails and wearing black horn-rimmed glasses. She was wearing a uniform with black boots. Her gentle breathing made him assume that she was sleeping. He tried to move again and sighed, before closing his eyes. He tried to activate the few abilities he had awakened, making lightning dance around him in small arcs.

Suddenly, ethereal chains appeared around him, binding his power and making the lightning dissipate. He screamed in pain, making the girl sitting beside him wake up with a start.

He felt the flow of Prana from her and the chains disappeared slowly. The restraints binding him were released and she held him down. "Calm down, you are safe!" He slowly stopped moving, his body regaining the mana and he slowly stood up.

"You shouldn't use your power like that suddenly!"

"But I didn't know that you would bind it, would I?!" He retorted, making her stare at him before saying, "Sorry?" awkwardly.

But she realised something and asked, "Wait, how did you know that I was the one who bound your power?"

"I can see the flow of Prana. And you were the only person so… that explains it." "Oh…"

"Anyway, who are you? I'm Tatsuya Hikaru and I don't think I've seen you anywhere."

"Oh. my bad. I'm Amagiri Haruka. Nice to meet you."

"Amagiri Haruka?" After some thinking, a light bulb lit over his head. "Ah! You are the girl who won the kendo championship last year!"

"And I am the daughter of your father's friend." She added.

"Amagiri Masatsugu-san?"

"Yup." She said before asking, "Do you know what happened?"

"I think some explosion happened… Wait, where are my parents?! Are they alright?!"

Her smile faded from her face and she said, "I'm sorry, Hikaru. But they weren't able to save them. Their injuries were too great."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry that I have to say this, but… your parents are no longer in this world."

Realisation hit him full-force as the vague memory returned to him and tears streamed down his face unconsciously.

He was wrapped in a comforting hug by Haruka and he sobbed into her shoulder. He calmed down after a long time and then asked, "Amagiri-san-"

"Haruka is fine."

"Then, Haruka-san, did they find the culprit's body?"

"Eh? What do you mean?" Confusion was written all over her face.

Hikaru's eyes widened in shock and he clenched his fists in anger as his abilities activated unconsciously.

"Wa-wait! Calm down!"

She tried to bind his power again, only for him to control and reign in his power.

"Haruka-san, where will I be living from now on?"

 _The culprit's body was not found. So they are still alive. And to defeat mom and dad, that means they were a Genestella. I think this is being written off as an accident. And they know that I may or may not be alive. I need to let this continue, till I hone my abilities to an acceptable level._

Haruka flashed him a smile, presenting a paper before him.

"This is your parents' will."

He read it carefully and then looked up. "So I will be living with you from now on?"

"If you don't want to then it's-"

"It's alright. Haruka-san seems like a good person. So your family must be alright." He said, before turning around the page.

 _Dad was a good friend of the Amagiri family. So he entrusted me with them should anything happen to mom and dad. In the hopes that I get stronger. I will, dad, mom. And I will take up the company head position. Tatsuya Corp. will continue and will become the top. I promise._

He turned to Haruka with a smile and said, "Then Haruka-nee, I will be in your care!"

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Hikaru entered the dojo, walking beside Haruka, and looked around.

He bowed to the purple-haired man and said, "I'm Tatsuya Narukami Hikaru. It's a pleasure to meet you, Amagiri-san. I will be in your care."

A purple-haired boy suddenly appeared in his field of vision. "Hello. I'm Amagiri Ayato. Nice to meet you."

Hikaru smiled at the younger boy and held out his hand. "Hello, Ayato. Nice to meet you too."

"Ayato, be nice to him. He is going to be living with us from now on." Haruka said sternly, making Hikaru chuckle and Ayato nod.

"So, Hikaru-san, are you stronger than onee-chan?"

"Hmm… nope. My kenjutsu is average compared to my mother's and my Dante abilities can easily be negated by Haruka-nee's ability. So I will get my ass kicked if I fight her." He said.

"But-"

"Ayato, just go along." Hikaru whispered lowly with a look that said, 'Just go along or it will be more complicated later on.'

Ayato nodded and then said, "Well then we will defeat onee-chan together!"

"Alright." Hikaru nodded to the two others in the dojo.

 _I like this family. But I can't sit around. Haruka-nee is stronger than Masatsugu-san, I can see that. It's obvious for me. There is only one option for me. One is to ask Haruka-nee to train me and also train by myself. There are some tips left by mom. And there was also that Orga Lux there. Blade of the Black Dragon, Narukami. If I master that, I can become stronger. I need to._

He clutched the small Lux with his fist, gaining a determined look in his eyes.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

It was 2 years since he had arrived at the Amagiri dojo. He fit into the house quite quickly, making friends with the neighbours. During this time, he had improved his kenjutsu and Dante abilities, while also taking an interest in kyujutsu. Unknown to anyone, he also sneaked out at night to practise his sojutsu and taijutsu.

Hikaru got along well with both Ayato and Haruka, due to their passion for their martial arts. Hikaru had a single-minded drive to grow stronger; Ayato admired both Hikaru and Haruka for their strength and aspired to be like them; Haruka finally found her match in martial arts in Hikaru, the younger boy able to keep up with her despite her experience.

Life continued for the young boy as he trained every day.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Hikaru and Haruka were standing in the middle of the dojo, each holding a wooden sword. Both of them wore training outfits and were staring at each other. To the side, a man and a boy with purple hair and eyes were looking intensely at the two of them.

As if on an unspoken signal, they dashed forward. Suddenly, Hikaru stopped and turned around, pointing his sword at the entrance to the dojo and a bolt of lightning hit the sliding door, blasting it to splinters.

"Whoever is there, come out!" He called out.

"Hikaru, there is no one there." The man, Amagiri Masatsugu, said to him.

"No, there is. I felt it." Hikaru said, still on guard. Rightly so, as suddenly a knife ripped through the air, cutting straight through his arm before lodging itself into the tatami mats. Hikaru bit back a scream of pain as his left arm hung at his side, now useless. "Hikaru!"

Haruka tried to run towards him, only for a barrier to appear around her and around Masatsugu and the boy, Ayato.

A woman materialised out of thin air right before Hikaru, holding knives in her hand, similar to the one that hurt Hikaru.

Hikaru glared at the woman and asked, "I can see that you are a Strega. What are you doing here?" He asked coldly, trying to activate his Denko Sekka.

"Even if you use your abilities, you cannot defeat me, silly boy."

"We will see, won't we?" He retorted challengingly and then appeared behind her before swinging the wooden sword in his hand.

It was blocked by a knife and another was lodged in his right arm. A kick to his stomach threw him into a wall.

"Hikaru!" All three of them cried out in worry.

He stood up slowly. Two more knives lodged themselves in his legs and he crumpled to the floor.

"Now that you are down, I will play with the other three for a bit before killing you." The woman said sadistically.

She walked towards Ayato and Masatsugu before a cold voice stopped her. "Stop!" Hikaru glared at her, willing himself to stand up.

"That emblem, that symbol… are you that guy's subordinate?!"

"What are you talking about?" She asked, trying to feign innocence.

"You… your leader killed my parents. Someone from your group otherwise. I know, because I remember that symbol. And now… you are here to kill me."

She mock clapped. "You are bright. It pains me to put out that brightne-"

"Shut up and get it over with. I am not dying today and I won't let you hurt the people I care about."

He stood up, throwing the damaged wooden sword to the side while activating one of his abilities, Kanmuru and lightning flared around him. He took out something from his pocket, making the others gasp.

"What is that?" Ayato looked at it curiously.

"No! Hikaru, don't use it!" Haruka shouted.

"Sorry, Haruka-nee. I have to do this. I am not strong enough to protect the people I love with my own strength."

"But!"

"I already accepted the price. Getting the strength to protect the people I love is enough for me, even if I have to become absolute evil."

He held the Lux in his hand and whispered to himself, "Sever the dark clouds of heaven and decimate the darkness of the earth! Destroy all that stands before me! Awaken and Obey! Blade of the Black Dragon, Narukami!"

An explosion ripped through the dojo as the Orga Lux was released. All the occupants of the dojo were thrown back, the barriers destroyed by the immense power. In the epicentre of the explosion stood a young boy, almost 11, his spiky blue hair now containing streaks of white. His blood-red eyes were covered by a sheen of ice, like a screen or glass.

He was surrounded by pure lightning which danced around him. A white kimono and hakama were now worn by him, his previous training outfit destroyed by the power released. A black dragon was on the back of the kimono, surrounded by lightning and ice. Lightning danced around him in a dangerous pattern along with small shards of ice which were barely visible. The energy slowly formed a dragon, the fearsome looking beast wrapping around him like a cloak. In his hands was now a katana, the hilt a pure white, with the blade a pure black. The tsuba was shaped like the head of a dragon with red eyes. Hikaru looked at the woman who attacked them and spoke, _**"Is this my new vessel?"**_ His voice sounded distorted, as if two voices were speaking at the same time. _**"He doesn't seem to be weak, and he has a strong will too, to make me obey like that. Let's see."**_

A bolt of lightning, far stronger and faster than his previous one, hit the woman, throwing her quite a distance away from the sheer force of it.

" _ **Hmm… this guy's body can handle my power. But he still hasn't fully released the power. Maybe he will after feeling loss."**_

He fired another bolt of lightning at the attacker and suddenly disappeared before appearing before her.

A fist broke her nose and a sword pierced through her gut. She gasped in pain before the sword was stabbed through her limbs and then her chest.

Screams of pain were released from her as the boy then pointed the sword at the woman before swinging it, releasing a bolt of electricity covered by ice at her.

Darkness consumed the boy and the last thing he heard was an explosion ringing in his ears.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"Ouch… I'm here again?" Hikaru muttered as he opened his eyes. Beside him in another bed was Haruka, who looked relatively uninjured.

She was mumbling in her sleep. "I can't eat anymore chocolate. And throw those glasses away. I don't like them."

"Haruka-nee?" He called, but received no answer. He tried to activate his ability but sighed after feeling the chains binding him.

"Haruka-nee!" He exclaimed loudly, causing her to wake up with a start.

"Hai! I'm not sleeping, sensei!" She shouted suddenly, making the other blue-haired teen crunch his face in confusion.

 _What is she talking about?_

She looked to her side and saw Hikaru sitting up on the bed, looking at her with an amused smirk on his face.

"Three things. What were you dreaming about? Two, I'm not your sensei. Three, you were definitely sleeping there."

She bopped him on the head, making him wince, as she exclaimed, "B-baka! You worried us!"

"Sorry. But that was the only choice I had." He said bluntly. "Where are Ayato and Masatsugu-san?"

"Ayato is asleep at home. Tou-san is looking after him."

"I see. Any injuries?"

"Nope. Just small scratches and the like. Nothing serious."

"That's good to hear. Can you bring me my phone?"

"Um… here you go."

He navigated through the various apps and contacts with practised ease without even looking at the screen as he continued talking with Haruka.

"What happened to the woman?"

"I don't know, Hikaru. We were unconscious."

"I see." Hikaru said as he waited for the person on the opposite side of the line to answer.

 _I know. I was the one who killed her. And the force of my last attack decimated her body without any trace. That's a relief, partially, I guess._

" **Hello. What do you need, Hikaru-sama?"**

"Ryu, good. Is the little project finished?"

" **Yes. It's ready. You can use it anytime."**

"Good. Get it prepared."

He then swung his legs off the bed, standing up without any weakness in his step. He frowned as he noticed one thing. "Haruka-nee, where are my clothes?"

"Ah… they were destroyed?"

"Forget it. Ryu, get me a set of clothes and a car to pick us up."

" **Understood, Hikaru-sama."**

He cut the call and sat on the bed again, swinging his legs absentmindedly and absently thought, _I think I have some semblance of control over my Orga Lux. Wait… where is it? I can sense it but I can't see it._

He concentrated some Prana to his hands and in a flash of bright light, the Orga Lux appeared in its sealed state.

"So the Orga Lux can be summoned discreetly." He summarised and then said, "Haruka-nee, I have somewhere to go. Can you go home back on your own? I'm sending a car for you."

"W-wait… car?" She asked, confusion written all over her face.

"Tatsuya Corp., the head's car. I have something to do so I will be late. I want you to return home. A friend of mine will drop you in her car." He clarified and turned towards the door just as a young man with silvery-blue hair and striking golden eyes entered the room, holding a bag in his hand.

"Ryu, good to see you."

"Hikaru-sama, you used that Orga Lux?" His voice was condescending and had undertones of scolding and disappointment in it.

"Hey, don't blame me. Blame the stupid woman who attacked us." He said bluntly and then asked, "Where is the car? And where is Rei-san?"

"Rei is in the car at the entrance. Said she didn't want to come."

"That's fine I guess. Can you take Haruka-nee to the car and have Rei-san drop her off at home?"

"Sure." He led the still shocked girl out of the room and returned a few minutes later.

Meanwhile, Hikaru had changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, his Orga Lux strapped to his arm.

He then said, "Ryu, I want you to run a few tests. The power output of each of my different techniques." His tone had turned very serious.

"Hai, Hikaru-sama." Ryu's voice was also very serious and his face showed seriousness all over it. "Has your power changed in any way?"

"My power has increased. And during the attack, this Lux was possessing me. I was conscious of my actions but I couldn't control them."

"That is a problem."

"I know."

"And also… I have the special Orga Lux you asked for prepared."

"Really? That's good to hear."

"And the registration for Seidoukan Academy. In 1 year, you will be eligible to join Asterisk and attend Seidoukan Academy. I also had the paperwork for the Orga Lux also done."

"I take it you combined the two Orga Luxes already?"

"You can test it at the facility, Hikaru-sama."

"Let's go." In a sudden flash. Both of them disappeared.

 **Tatsuya Corp. Main Office**

 **Basement**

Hikaru and Ryu stood in a room filled with blue tiles. The younger of the two gazed at the room.

"Good work, Ryu." "I know."

Hikaru walked towards the center of the room and held his Orga Lux in his hands.

"Obey! Narukami!"

A burst of power rippled outwards with him in the centre as a black ethereal dragon formed out of the aura around him and coiled around himself like a cloak.

He was now clad in a white kimono and hakama, with a black dragon on the back of the kimono. The pitch-black blade of the katana was pulsing with energy.

Hikaru did a few slashes in different directions, each slash sending forward an arc of lightning. He then used the Narukami as a medium and used one of his techniques. Rakurai hit the blue tiles a few feet before him and immediately destroyed them, leaving no trace.

"That's all." Ryu's voice came over the intercom and he stopped, sealing his Orga Lux back again. The kimono stayed like that but the ethereal dragon dissipated slowly, leaving no trace of its existence. Ryu appeared before him and said, "I observed the readings. The power is significantly stronger than before."

"Is that so?"

 _Then it means that Narukami is amplifying my power, at least when it comes to lightning. And this kimono seems to activate when I unseal it. Maybe a sign of the wielder._

"Ryu, can't you talk with the president of Seidoukan and have me admitted there?"

"I apologise, Hikaru-sama. But that is not possible right now. You are still not mature enough for me to let you live alone, without supervision, in a combat school, in an island where duels are the norm."

"Fine." He said grumpily. "Then I want you to have a house built on the land that mom owned at Seidoukan Academy grounds. Contact the authorities, tell them about me, that I wish to train in solitude. The papers are in the vault." "Yes." "And I want it built with high security measures. And high durability. Enough to handle 100 times the power output of just now."

"Understood. Am I to take the money from the company or…?"

"Take the money my parents left in their will for me. Build it comfortably. Big, like a mansion. Just like my previous home."

"Taken note of." Ryu answered with a smile.

"When can I expect it to be finished?"

"By when do you want it finished?"

"The deadline is 1 year. I will leave home then. Whether you will allow it or not."

"Then I will have a room built for you in the meantime and then the mansion."

"Do whatever suits you."

"And I will be accompanying you, Hikaru-sama."

"As long as Tatsuya Corp. is not in any danger, you can do whatever you want, Ryu. You have the full authority, as my assistant."

"I will have Rei help me."

"Then fine."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

The door to Hikaru's room was open when Haruka entered it. "Weird. Hikaru always keeps his door closed."

A piece of paper caught her eye and he started to read it. A shriek followed shortly after.

As Ayato and Masatsugu entered the room, they found her in the middle of the room holding a piece of paper, staring at it with a shocked look in her eyes.

Ayato noticed the lack of things in the room.

"Eh? Where are Hikaru-nii's things? And where is Hikaru-nii?"

The paper fell to the ground and Ayato picked it up. "A letter?"

 **I am leaving and going to my new house. I didn't tell any of you about this because you would try to stop me. Don't try to search for me. No one except a trusted few know about my whereabouts. I need to get stronger and this is the only way.**

 **Masatsugu-san, I don't have any way to show you my gratitude for taking me in and helping me.**

 **Haruka-nee, thanks for teaching me kenjutsu. But I think I should apologise, because I worried you many times and also hurt you right now. But I have to do this. There is no other choice. My definition of strength is different from yours and I cannot achieve that strength right now.**

 **Ayato, grow stronger. I know you can. And control yourself. That attitude will hurt those dear to you. Sorry, but we can't defeat Haruka-nee together. But I think you can grow strong enough on your own. Haruka-nee will teach you. I'm sure of that.**

 **I think the only way that I can show you my gratitude is by growing stronger. I have to, even if I lose myself. That is the only way that I can protect what is dear to me.**

 **I don't want you to understand why I did this, but I do want you guys to accept my choice and move on.**

 **Until we meet next time then,**

 **Hikaru**

The letter was brief but explained everything to the three of them.

Both Haruka and Ayato were crying silently as the boy they considered a brother disappeared from their lives.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Suijou Gakuen Toshi Rikka**

A young boy of 12 and a young man of 22 both stepped off the plane, the younger holding a bag in his hand while the other was dragging a trolley behind him.

"So, Hikaru-sama, what is our first objective?"

"Simple, Ryu. I'm going to get stronger in this Asterisk once I enter Seidoukan Academy. Strong enough to not lose anyone."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Kinda long chapter. Didn't expect it to be this much. Anyway, this is my first Asterisk War fanfic. Hope you find it to be good. My other two fanfics are on hold due to writer's block. Will continue when I get a proper idea.**

 **Please review~**

 **HikaruNarukami**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to Hero King Gilgamesh. Pairings are still undecided. This chapter will be a flashback on Hikaru first entering Asterisk. And his run-ins with Claudia,Arashi (OC) Setsura(OC) and other people. Read and Review**

 **Disclaimer: Gakusen Toshi Asterisk belongs to Yuu Miyazaki. I own my OCs and this fic.**

 _ **Asterisk - Orga Lux speaking**_

 **Asterisk - Machines, electronics, letters, notes, etc.**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Seidoukan Academy's Rank#0, Raijin**

 **Chapter 2**

 **Asterisk and Void Order**

 **Seidoukan Academy**

 **Student Council Room**

Hikaru and Ryu stood before a desk, at which sat a black-haired teen with deep blue eyes. He had a friendly smile on his face and said, "Welcome to Seidoukan Academy,Narukami-san, Ryu-san."

"Thank you for agreeing to our conditions, Arashi-san." Ryu said with a friendly smile while Hikaru just nodded with a neutral face.

"I hear that you have an Orga Lux, Narukami-san."

"Blade of the Black Dragon, Narukami." Hikaru answered. "It grants me control over lightning. And it amplifies my abilities as a Dante."

"I do not have any problem with letting you two stay here as long as you do not cause any problems to the campus, faculty, students or any of the authorities."

"I assure you that Hikaru-sama will not cause any problems and pick any fights as long as he isn't bothered." Ryu answered back.

"Then you have full permission to stay here, Narukami-san."

"Thank you, Arashi-san. I will not cause any problems here." Hikaru said and then nodded at Ryu. "Ryu, you can go now. Unless it's anything major, do not contact me."

"What constitutes as major, Hikaru-sama?"

"You know, Ryu. Now, you can leave."

As if he was a ghost, Ryu disappeared.

"Oh… a Dante?"

"A Dante with the ability of teleportation. He can teleport to people and places he has marked. And if he has a good description, he can teleport to the unmarked place with some higher amount of Prana than normally used. And he is like a ninja when it comes to stealth and such things."

"I see. Well then, I have some things to do and I won't be keeping you any longer."

"Once again, thank you, Arashi-san."

Hikaru turned around and left, his bag slung over his shoulder.

"Narukami-san, take this card." Arashi held a card in his hand with the emblem of Seidoukan Academy on it.

A small thread of lightning attached itself to the card and the card flew right into Hikaru's hands.

"Thanks, Arashi-san."

As the young boy left, Arashi had a small smile on his face. "He seems like a good guy."

 _Wait. Wasn't Sylvie talking about a blue-haired boy named Hikaru who was her friend?_

Hikaru walked out of the Student Council President's office, while playing with the card.

"Arashi Kaito… he seems strong." A grin found its way onto his face. "I really want to fight him."

 **1 year later**

Hikaru stood in the middle of a room filled with white tiles. He was dressed in the white kimono and hakama of Narukami, but it also had a shade of faded black on it. The black dragon on the back was more prominent and detailed. He held the Narukami in a standard stance with the sword facing forward. The Narukami itself was darker, with the hilt growing more detailed and a length of chain, made of a pure black metal, started to form from the hilt.

 _I can't maintain the armor of lightning. So Narukami cannot be used for defense. And I cannot manipulate the wires properly without high amount of concentration. The Narukami cannot be modified easily due to the power. And the chain is not very easy to use with levitation._

He frowned at the limitations before a small smile graced his face.

 _And in a few months, I am going to enter Seidoukan Academy as an official student in its Junior High School Division. At least one of kaa-san's requests will be fulfilled._

Hikaru then changed into a pair of casual clothes and walked towards the door, strapping the Narukami to his wrist, where it looked much like a wrist band.

Suddenly, he was surrounded by a white light and entered a trance.

When he opened his eyes, he was standing in a void of white with lightning and ice running through it and before him was a big dragon, its pitch-black colour a stark contrast to the white and yellow of the void. It's eyes were a blood-reddish blue.

 _It seems that you have called me here again, Narukami._ Hikaru said. He was once again in the white kimono and hakama like before.

 _ **You seem to know why I have summoned you here, Hikaru. You are almost in full control of my powers, your eyes changing is a proof of that. And your battle outfit is also more developed, a sign of your increasing power. If this continues, then I will slowly become you, we will be one.**_

 _What are the consequences?_

 _ **Your power will increase. And you will start to experience the suffering and insanity of my previous wielders.**_

 _Suffering? It's alright. I don't care about suffering, as long as I have the power necessary to protect the ones I love._

 _ **Then be prepared. Your body is slowly adapting to my power. The changes in your body is proof of that. And your senses are also enhanced, a side-effect of that. In a few moments, you and I will become one.**_

 _Then I am prepared. Bring it on, Narukami._

 _ **Are you really? Those who tried and failed have all undergone suffering and become insane.**_

 _Narukami, just so you know, don't compare me with them._ His voice contained a certain edge of anger to it. _I won't fall like them. I will overcome them, all my previous wielders and I will eventually overcome you too. Remember that._

 _ **Then, be prepared for the pain and suffering that comes with the power you will gain.**_

 _I am._

A second later, the world went black. Pure pain erupted through his nerves. However, the teen stood silent, not even twitching at the amount of pain running through his body.

An instant later, the pain disappeared, leaving him alone as he stood still on the ground.

The young boy clenched his right hand into a fist and closed his eyes. He could feel the lightning erupting from the clenched fist, almost dancing around his hand.

 _It seems like the fusion increased my power. I need to test this for some time before using it._

As he started to walk towards the door, the black Urm Manadyte in his Orga Lux gleamed ominously.

 _ **Now, you are in my control, foolish boy. I will slowly kill you and return to my full power.**_

The ominous words went unheard by the teen as he walked out the door and then went towards Seidoukan's main gate, taking the scenic route. He whistled a tune to himself as the birdsong echoed through the trees. He also heard the clamor of students and found it odd. _Ah right, high school starts earlier than middle school._

As he reached the gate, he almost ran back as he caught sight of blue. Blue hair and purple eyes. A girl with a school uniform and glasses...

 _Haruka-nee! Why is she here?!_

He calmed himself, hiding his presence and sneaked around to the gate, exiting the academy premises.

 _Good. Now that Haruka-nee is not here, I can move freely._ He breathed a sigh of relief. As he walked towards the Central District, he kept to the shadows, keeping his face hidden.

 _I can't let anyone, not even Haruka-nee know that I am here._

He then went into a shop, selecting a few pairs of clothes. _I need new clothes. I don't need weapons right now. But I think taking some melee weapons, probably those tactical knives won't be a bad choice. Hmm… on second thought, I will have Ryu get them. He can get them at a better quality._

 **3 months later**

 **Seidoukan Academy**

 **Auditorium**

Hikaru stood among the students in the auditorium, now dressed in the Seidoukan Academy Uniform. His Orga Lux was strapped to his wrist like always.

Arashi was on the podium, giving one of his speeches.

Hikaru yawned at the quite boring speech, going over many strategies in his head to alleviate the boredom.

An hour later saw him sitting in a desk next to the window, gazing at the scenery with boredom. A small shard of ice hit him in the back of his head. Or was supposed to, anyway. His other hand caught the shard, immediately shattering it to pieces in his grip.

"This ice…" He looked at the homeroom teacher with narrowed eyes. _This is mom's ability. That is for sure._

"Machiaverus, huh?"

"Oi! Brat! Introduce yourself!"

Hikaru stood up with a sigh and said, "Narukami Hikaru."

"What type of weapon do you use? The academy can issue you a Lux if you request."

"That isn't needed. I already have an Orga Lux with me." He tapped Narukami with a finger and a second later, sharp ice surrounded him, freezing him in place.

"What's the meaning of this, Yatsuzaki Kyouko-sensei?" Hikaru asked in a cold voice.

"Why do you have an Orga Lux and why do you have _that_ Orga Lux with you, Narukami?!" She almost snarled, closing the gap between them in an instant.

Hikaru almost smiled but schooled his expression. _So Kyouko-sensei is my mother's friend._

"My mother, Narukami Rin, gave it to me as her successor."

"Her son? I don't believe you." Kyouko said with a scowl.

"I'll show it to you then." He exerted his power while activating the Narukami and a blast of electricity radiated outwards. As if on cue, the ice freezing him in place shattered and Hikaru held the Narukami in his hands.

"Obey, Narukami." He spoke calmly and a burst of electricity expanded outwards.

When the bright flash of light dissipated, Hikaru was once again in the white kimono and hakama and Narukami's blade was manifesting, the pitch-black blade radiating energy.

"Do you believe me now, Kyouko-sensei?" He asked while sealing the Orga Lux back, leaving he standing in his uniform again.

The Machiaverus nodded. "Fine. I believe that you are her son."

"Good to know that, sensei." As Kyouko turned around, he then added, "Kyouko-sensei, please don't use my kaa-san's abilities like that freely around me, and _on_ me, without any reason. It would be an insult to her sacrifice." His Prana flared for a single moment before he brought his emotions back under control. "I won't like that _very_ much."

Kyouko looked over her shoulder at him with narrowed eyes.

"Is that a threat, Narukami Hikaru?"

"Hahahaha… I'm not confident enough in my abilities to threaten you. That was just a simple request."

The Machiaverus scowled but nodded and turned back to walk towards the desk. _Wait… sacrifice?_

"Narukami, come to my office during the break."

"Understood, Kyouko-sensei."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

The blue haired teen walked towards the cafeteria, hands in his pockets.

 _To think that Machiaverus would be my mother's friend and my homeroom teacher. I didn't think that I would have to use Narukami's power so quickly._

He was still in deep thought as he purchased a spicy curry and sat at an empty table, savoring his meal. _Hmm… this is good._

A hand slamming on the table made him look up. A young woman with blond hair and green eyes was looking at him, almost glaring.

"Yes? Do you have any business with me?" Hikaru asked in an even tone.

"That Orga Lux, it doesn't belong to you."

"Who are you and why do you think it doesn't belong to me?"

"Celeste Ragris, Page One, Rank#3."

"And?"

"You don't deserve it."

He laughed at that remark and then continued eating his meal, ignoring the female student.

"You bastard! Don't ignore me!" She shouted, drawing the attention of other students.

Hikaru calmly stood up. "I don't care what ignorant idiots like you think. And I don't even care about whether you think I'm deserving of _my_ Narukami or not." He stepped past her and towards the exit.

Sharp blades of wind suddenly raced at him, only to be repelled by a shield of lightning.

Hikaru turned back and glared at her coldly. "I hate such attacks. If you want to attack me, duel. If you want to die, continue such attacks."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Seidoukan Academy**

 **Main Building Entrance**

Two students stood in the middle of a crowd, which was comprised of many students.

"Hey look, Ragris is fighting a new guy."

"Who is he?"

"He's not in the Named Cults too."

"These idiots sure have a lot of free time, huh?" Hikaru muttered.

"I, Celeste Ragris, challenge you, Narukami Hikaru, to a duel."

"I decline." Hikaru said in a bored tone.

"WHAT?!" The blonde's eyes widened in shock and anger. "Fight me, you coward!"

"I, Narukami Hikaru, challenge you, Celeste Ragris, to a Void Duel."

"What?!" A collective gasp came from the spectators as a pale blue light connected the emblems of the two students.

"A Void Duel? Isn't that…?"

"My reason for a Void Duel is that the first Rank I'm going to achieve is Rank 1. That is one of my goals. So I will participate only in Void Duels till I reach Rank 1."

He then sighed as he looked at her stance. "Besides, Rank 3 doesn't interest me." His voice carried tones of boredom and disinterest, easily conveying his feelings towards his opponent.

"You… you will regret underestimating me!" The Rank 3 growled before angrily voicing her acceptance to the duel.

Both of their badges glowed blue and a mechanical voice announced, **"Duel Start."**

Immediately after the announcement, he was attacked by gusts of wind from different directions. He nimbly dodged each gust, frowning slightly at the cuts on the ground. _Hmm… these gusts of wind are not only fast but sharp as well._

He narrowly avoided a particularly sharp blade of wind and jumped back, enhancing his speed and strength with Prana.

 _That was close._ _Looks like I need to use my ability after all._

He brought his hands close together, as the Mana in the air moved around his fingers, creating tendrils on electricity between his fingers. He slowly brought his hands apart, while manipulating the Mana around him and the Rank 3 student.

His hands were almost on opposite ends and suddenly the field disappeared. The sharp smell of ozone lingered in the air.

Celeste Ragris laughed haughtily. "What? Couldn't maintain your fancy lights show?"

Suddenly tendrils of electricity touched her arms and legs and she fell down uselessly.

"What I did was spread the electricity in the area of the field. I can manipulate the charge in the field. And you were in the area, that is why the tendrils touched you."

He then said, "Now, stand." His voice was more of a cold command as his opponent stood up, almost mechanically.

"What did you do?!" "I was able to access your neural network. They contain electric pulses too. And I can control them." He walked towards her, almost slowly. "Next, throw your Lux to me."

Again the same rigid manner, the girl's left arm moved. She threw a Lux at him, which he caught and examined it.

"A generic rapier Lux… not useful for me."

He threw it at her feet. Suddenly, his eyes turned cold and his form split into many.

Afterimages of himself appeared as he slowly circled around his opponent. The opponent in question was shaking in fear from the predator like feeling the boy gave off.

"I don't like being disturbed during my quiet time. And don't even talk about deserving, not to me." His voice was just above a whisper, almost echoing from all around her. Just for a moment, a black dragon appeared behind the blue haired teen.

The sound of a badge shattering was all she heard before succumbing to darkness.

" **End of duel. Winner, Narukami Hikaru."**

The crowd erupted into cheers and applauses after a short moment of surprise and shock.

Hikaru didn't react to the cheers before smiling and saying, "Thanks for your cheers! Anyway, can someone take Miss Ragris to the infirmary? I may have hit her too hard with my last move." His voice was a sharp contrast from the cold voice he used in the morning.

"Congratulations, Narukami-san. You fought brilliantly." Arashi's voice came from behind him.

"Arashi-san, so you were watching?"

"I heard that one of the Page One was dueling an unranked, new student and came to watch."

"You sure have a lot of free time, don't you?" Hikaru asked with a teasing tone in his voice and then said, "Then, I will be leaving now."

He disappeared in a burst of lightning.

"Arashi-kaichou, Narukami-kun didn't use any Lux, did he?" A blonde with violet eyes asked from beside him.

"No, Claudia-chan. He didn't use his Orga Lux. He is well versed in many techniques, it seems. So, Claudia-chan, what do you think of him?"

"He is strong, Arashi-kaichou. He would make a good Vice-President."

"Hmm… that is reassuring. To know that someone is there whom you can rely on."

"Are you not going to stay? I know that you were offered a spot in the Stjarnagarm."

"Claudia-chan, I cannot. I am going to start a company where both Genestella and humans can be treated equally without any discrimination." He then turned towards a tree in the garden and said, "Narukami-san, you can come out now."

Hikaru jumped down from the tree and rubbed his head. "Arashi-san, you found me, huh?"

"It didn't look like you were concealing your presence either."

"That's correct, I guess. I was planning on going to class and sleep since I had a free period but I stayed after hearing my name being spoken." He said.

"I see. How much did you hear?"

"Pretty much everything that Enfield-san spoke."

"You know her?"

"I did see her a few times when I came over to talk to you. I don't know her personally though.

"I'm Claudia Enfield, nice to meet you, Narukami-kun."

"Narukami Hikaru. A pleasure to meet you, Enfield-san." Hikaru said with a smile.

He then said, "Arashi-san, what you said about the discrimination and criticism, I know about it. I will support that aim."

"You know about it?"

"Many of my friends whom I used to play with - _when_ I played, anyway- stopped playing with me after seeing me control lightning. I had only a few friends after that."

"That's… sad to hear."

"Nah. Sylvie was my best friend so I had a good friend to play with anyway. And Ursula-san always welcomed me. So, what were you talking about, a company without any discrimination?"

 _Sylvie? Ursula-san? Is he really who I think he is?_

"Yeah. I want to create the first company without any discrimination."

"First, huh?" Hikaru muttered. "Then, Arashi-san, please allow me to apologise."

"Huh?"

"Tatsuya Corp. is already like that. No discrimination. I made sure of that. If there is, then they will be and are fired."

"W-what? B-but I know a guy who hated Genestella with a passion. And he has a job in Tatsuya Corp."

"Correction. He _had_ a job in Tatsuya Corp. I fired him."

"Wait. You?"

"Narukami-kun is a member of Tatsuya Corp?"

"Tatsuya Narukami Hikaru,CEO of Tatsuya Corp., at your service." Hikaru said with a mock bow.

The expressions on the faces of the two Student Council members were hilarious, to say the least.

"Ryu is my assistant and he has the authority, almost equal to mine. That is why I can have the company micromanage when I don't have the time."

"So that is the relation between you two."

"Of course, he is like an elder brother to me too. He was my sensei in the abilities of a Genestella and as a Dante."

"So you are here because…"

"I want to fight strong opponents and grow stronger, Arashi-san."

"Then I wish you best of luck." Hikaru nodded and then said, "Well then, I will go to the classroom." _Now comes the most dreaded part of being famous. Fans._

With a depressed sigh, he walked towards his classroom.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Hikaru stood outside the door to his classroom, taking a few deep breaths and trying to calm himself.

"What, Narukami? Scared of your fans?" A slightly teasing voice asked from behind him.

"I inherited this part from my mother, Kyouko-sensei. She too was scared of her fans. It was her tag partner that saved her."

"That's true. Setsuna was the one who helped her very much."

"Setsuna-san has a daughter who's studying in Seidoukan right?"

"You mean Yuki Setsura? I don't think it would be good for you to get involved with her."

"Why?" He inquired with a curious look on her face.

"She's just like her mother, rough, always angry and hot-headed. The opposite of what you would expect from an Ice Strega."

"My mother said that Setsuna-san was like that. But she was a kind person underneath. I believe that Setsura too is like that."

 _Besides, the Setsura I met years ago was kind._

"Alright. Let's go inside." _But how the hell did he find out that Yuki is in this class?_

"Hai, Kyouko-sensei."

"Wait. Why do you call me by my first name?"

"I refer to people I respect very much by their first name. Arashi-san is an exception, because his surname is cooler than his first name."

"So my first name sounds lame to you, Narukami-san?" Arashi's voice suddenly came from behind him. He jumped and said, "Arashi-san, don't appear behind me like that. I may attack you by mistake. And potentially cause you a fatal injury."

"Scary, scary… but you said that my name was not cool? That's unfair."

"Well, not everybody can have dragon, thunderbolt or light in their name." He said cheekily. "But storm sounds better than Kaito. Not as awesome as mine though."

"Don't get cocky, kid." Arashi said in a condescending tone. "I'm Rank#1 and you are still unranked."

"Then I will duel you." Hikaru said. "I need to get stronger anyway. I could use the experience. Besides, I could have been Rank 3 if I wanted to."

"You say that like you can win against me."

"I have the confidence that I can at least put an even fight and draw."

"Let's see."

Suddenly, the door opened and a young woman with amber eyes and bluish-black hair, contrasting with her pale skin, walked out, her face set into an irritated frown.

"Damn idiots! Always have to be so annoying!"

She collided straight into Hikaru, who caught her from falling down. She looked up at him and snarled. "Let go of me!"

Her eyes briefly flashed in recognition before she hid it behind a look of indifference.

Hikaru smiled briefly and said, "It's been a long time, Setsura-nee."

As her amber eyes widened in surprise, he recalled the letter his mother had left him in her will.

 **Hikaru, if you join Seidoukan Academy, and I hope you will, you will meet at least 3 people. Yatsuzaki Machiaverus Kyouko, she has my ability, but don't be angry at her for that. She may be rough but she is a softie underneath all that. Just don't annoy her much. Next, you will meet Yuki Setsura, Setsuna-chan's daughter. She said that her daughter was going to join Seidoukan. I have a feeling that she will be like her mother. So be friends with her. And be kind to her. I have a feeling that she really needs that. And if she mentions something about an oath of fealty, ignore that nonsense. Just be her friend. And if you can, be a good brother to her.**

 **Next is the wielder of Crescent Moon. Be careful around that one. Last I hear is someone named Arashi something. He is a junior high first year student at Seidoukan, from what I hear, he is strong. They are strong but if they lose control of their emotions, then it will become dangerous. They will be suffering very much. Help him. I know you can do it.**

 **Also, don't trust the executives or the IEF. I think you will understand what I mean when you are old enough.**

 **Stay strong, no matter what.**

 **Love,**

 **Kaa-chan.**

He was brought out of his musings by a female voice saying, "Yuki Setsura, that's my name. Don't call me by whatever you think is my name." Her voice was cold and she glared at him.

"Narukami Hikaru. Pleasure to meet you."

He released the girl, who quickly walked away, her boots clacking against the floor.

Hikaru sighed before turning to the black-haired student. "Arashi-san, what Lux do you use anyway? Just satisfy my curiosity, please."

"Since you will know it anyway, I'll tell you. My Orga Lux is this." A double-bladed scythe suddenly materialised in his hands.

"Voice of the Night Sky, Crescent Moon is my partner."

"I see. Arashi-san, can we have the duel at my house 2 months from now?"

"2 months? Isn't that too long?" "I'd say that even that was too short. I need to train lots to even have a chance of defeating you. Besides, I want to win by feeding defeating you in a fight, not by destroying that emblem. Anything less won't count as a true win to me. And today's win as a result of planning and my opponent's overconfidence so that doesn't actually count."

"Hmm… that's true. Well, I'll get some time to polish my skills so I can't really object to that. Good luck."

"You too." As Arashi walked away, Hikaru turned to the direction where Setsura walked off.

"Kyouko-sensei, today is free from now, right?"

"Go, Narukami. If you want to, I'll cover for you."

"Kaa-chan was right. You _are_ a big softie on the inside." He then disappeared from view, reappearing at one of the staircases.

 _If what Kyouko-sensei said is true, then she will be found either on the roof or outside._

He walked towards the roof but stopped on the fourth floor as a pleasant breeze hit him from the window.

 _The breeze feels good. Let's try something new._

He walked towards the window and closed his eyes for a few moments. When he opened them, his eyes looked like they were crackling with electricity. He stepped out the window and walked up the wall towards the roof, using his Prana to create small footholds. Once he reached the roof, he jumped over the fence, landing at the same instant when the door opened. Setsura stood in the doorway,a bit shocked by his entrance.

"Did you just jump over the fence?" Her voice carried quite a bit of obvious confusion and shock in it.

"Yes, I did."

"Why are you here?"

"Can't I enjoy the good weather, Setsura-san?"

"Don't lie. I can see it in your face."

"Fine. I came to talk with you."

"Why?"

"How is Setsuna-san?"

Immediately, a sharp ice scythe touched his neck.

"How do you know about my kaa-chan?"

"Relax. My mother and your mother are friends. I met Setsuna-san once, at a party my mother hosted on your birthday, despite your mother insisting not to."

"Friends?"

"Narukami Rin and Yuki Setsuna won a Phoenix Festa years ago. Then they worked as teachers here in Seidoukan but resigned afterwards."

"Narukami?" She was in deep thought as she remembered her mother's words.

 _Wait, this guy is Narukami Rin's son? Then I have to serve him because my mother swore an oath of fealty to his mother and her family?_

"Oi, Narukami." "Hikaru is fine."

"Narukami." She insisted. "Did your mother tell you anything about an oath of fealty?"

"Now that you mention it… she did say something about it. That your mother swore an oath of fealty and therefore, her and her family to come, will have to serve my mother and her family but if your family wanted to serve a particular person of my mother's family, then they can swear another oath to them and the sister or closest relative will continue the oath sworn by your mother, something like that."

Setsura let out a depressed sigh and said, "Then state the terms."

"Huh?"

"State the terms. About how I should serve you."

"Can I state anything as the terms?"

"If you say something that I don't want to do, then I will kill you."

A small laugh was the only reply she received.

"Then, I will state two things as the terms. One, instead of referring to me as Narukami, call me by my first name and let me do the same."

"I don't particularly dislike it but I don't actually like it too. Next?"

"Haha… I liked the Setsura-nee at the party more than the Yuki Setsura of now." He said in a nostalgic voice and then walked over to the railing, leaning on it and gazing at the clouds as they passed. "For the second condition, I really don't have anything. But I'd like to meet my family and… my sister again."

A pleasant laugh rang out before the same pleasant voice said, "You know, I thought you would be intelligent when I saw that match of yours. But now I think you are an idiot."

"Who knows? Maybe I am. But I was serious when I said that I wanted you to be my friend. A friend is very precious to me."

"But you appear to be pretty friendly with everyone."

"Being friendly with everyone? That may be called being social or being courteous or something like that. I will be as myself when I am with my friends. But when I am before strangers, I consciously try to look powerful and fearsome."

"You don't look powerful to me."

"You didn't see me fight seriously yet. I can bring out more power when I use my Orga Lux but if I had used it today at the match, then I would have caused a fatal injury to Ragris. And I didn't want to send an ignorant idiotic bitch to the hospital just because I felt like showing off my real power."

"I do think I can believe you when you say that. That Orga Lux is so powerful that even my kaa-chan was scared when she mentioned it."

"Maybe."

Setsura joined him in gazing at the sky while they talked about various topics.

"So, you are going to fight the president?"

"Yup. And I plan to win it."

"You don't know anything about his abilities. And he isn't Rank#1 for nothing." She cautioned.

"Though I am happy that you are worried for me, I still have a few cards left to show."

"Well, I'll believe in your words and leave it at that." After a short pause, she asked, "Wait… how did you recognise me that easily?"

Hikaru simply smiled at her question and showed his phone to he her. On the screen was a photo of 4 people. The two children at the front appeared to be younger versions of Hikaru and Setsura. The two women behind them could only be Setsuna and Rin. All four of them were smiling brightly at the camera.

"Recognising someone is not hard when you remember their face by heart." The blue haired teen said with a smile and then looked at his watch.

"Haah… I am really lucky though. Why were you in my class, Setsura-nee?"

"Huh?" A puzzled expression appeared on her face.

"I mean, you came out of the room I was about to enter."

"That was my classroom."

"Huh?"

"You mistook the high school section for the junior high section and somehow came to the room I was in… you are really lucky, otouto."

"Otouto?"

"You call me sister." She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Point taken. Anyway, Setsura-nee, you are Rank 2, right?"

"Why? You want to fight me?"

"No. But I do need some help and a training partner."

With a fake sigh, she gave her reply. "Haah… I don't have much of a choice, do I? I need to help my little brother anyway."

"No need to sound like you are going out of your way to help me, you know? It's not like you have any club or something." He stated with a knowing tone.

"So how is the company doing?" Setsura asked, trying to change the topic after noticing the hidden jab.

"Hmm… I don't know. I think it's better to call Ryu. If he needs help, I'll need to manage something while I am free."

He took out a phone and called the silver-haired teen.

" **Hikaru-sama! I was just about to call you."**

"Ryu, good to see you. What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

" **Well, I think this comes under the important part. We have offers from a school."**

"School? That's interesting." Hikaru said, his interest piqued. "From where?"

" **That's the problem. It's Lewolf."**

"Lewolf? As in Lewolf Black Institute in Asterisk?"

" **Hai."**

"What did they want?"

" **They want training rooms to be built. But the price is the problem."**

"Price?"

" **It's too low. Lower than the amount that's given normally."**

"From who did it come?"

" **From the president, Dirk Eberwein."**

"From the president himself? Ryu, I'll deal with this. In the meantime, you can send a portion of the documents to me. I'll review them and do the portion of the work."

" **Hai, Hikaru-sama. How is the first day?"**

"Well, aside from beating a Page One in a Void Duel, meeting kaa-chan's friend, meeting Setsuna-san's daughter and challenging Arashi-san to a duel, nothing interesting happened."

" **You sure are moving fast."**

"Blame my luck, not me."

" **Hikaru-sama, be careful around that man. Something seems fishy about the offer."**

"I know, Ryu. Don't worry."

The call ended and the holographic screen disappeared.

He then viewed the information on the Lewolf President and applied some Prana to his neck.

"Setsura-nee, please don't talk for the duration of the call. Dirk Eberwein is-" His voice was distorted slightly and sounded colder and deeper.

"He's a manipulative prick who will stoop down to any level to get what he wants." Setsura finished for him. "I know of him. Don't worry, otouto."

With a smile and a nod, Hikaru pulled out his phone

Hikaru then called the red-headed man and said, "Dirk Eberwein, this is the head of Tatsuya Corp. I take it that you have talked to my assistant about the request you have made. But there is a problem in that the price is too low and it would incur losses for the company."

" **And?"**

"Raise the price or the deal is off. And at any moment that I want to, I will have the authority to cancel the deal. If you agree to these conditions, then you will be contacted by my assistant about the deal."

" **Your prices are too high."**

"Don't raise your voice with me. And the prices are the standard. All such facilities were built using similar costs. And there is also the matter of transport and storage of the equipment and the housing of the workers too."

" **Wasn't it supposed to be finished in one day?"**

"Please don't raise your voice." _If you annoy me too much, I may have to kill you._ "The one day work is only for premium users and the material used is of premium quality. That is the most expensive choice in the category you are looking for. The price that you are referring to is the basic one and it takes about 6 months."

" **Then we will turn to another company."**

"That's understandable."

Hikaru cut the call and pocketed the phone before stopping the flow of Prana to his neck. He turned towards her and said, "It's fine now."

Setsura then asked, "What was that?"

"I didn't want him to know my identity and yours. He is a man who is known for his manipulation. That is why I don't want him to know about us. If he did, then he will research about me and try to hurt the people I care about. I can't allow that."

"Then the other schools are okay with you?"

"Seidoukan is okay with me. The only two I don't trust are Lewolf and Arlequint. But the other schools are okay. I know Galahadsworth and Queenvail doesn't seem like to type to resort to kidnappings and blackmails. Jie Long, I neither hate nor like them, but I can respect them. And their President is not the type for blackmail or something. Most of them join the Festa to hone their abilities and not for the prizes."

Hikaru then sighed as he received a message on his terminal and said, "I need to go. Kyouko-sensei needs to talk to me about something."

"Fine. Get prepared to be chewed out."

"I will see what it is."

He then jumped over the fence making the girl gasp. A few seconds later, he appeared right before her, levitating in the air.

"I have good control of my abilities. So I can levitate in the air too."

Hikaru then flew downwards towards the second floor and was greeted by an open window. He jumped in once he saw the Machiaverus and asked, "Kyouko-sensei, you wanted to talk?"

"Yeah. Narukami, did your mother tell you anything? About Seidoukan or anyplace else?"

"Hmm… she did tell me to never trust the IEF."

"Don't trust the IEF, huh?" With a sigh, she continued, "Sounds like what Rin would say. I want to talk about Rin and what you meant by sacrifice."

"Kyouko-sensei, if that is the case, then I would like to invite you to my house. It's better to talk there."

"Fine." _House? He needs to get used to going to a dorm room instead of a big mansion, that's for sure._

Hikaru then jumped out of the window, drawing gasps from a few teachers present in the staff room while Kyouko just sighed.

"I hope he doesn't inherit his mother's personality fully."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Both Setsura and Hikaru were in the yard of Hikaru's house, standing in the moonlight, both of them wearing black training uniforms, their respective weapons on them.

"So, you ready, otouto?"

Setsura stood opposite across from him with a confident smirk on her face, a double-bladed naginata in her hands. The naginata itself was a pure white with snowflakes running along the shaft while the blades were tipped with red. The shaft however was thin at the middle, the shaft seeming like it was made of a pure white energy at the middle, looking like ice. The shaft was primarily ice with a small part of metal connecting the ice and blades. Her opponent also noticed that the blades seemed to be a different size and shape, almost identical to those of a… _Wakizashi? Just what is that weapon?_

"You know, for a weapon that is supposed to be elegant and graceful, that Fuyu no Shuen seems very deadly." Hikaru commented as he drew his katana.

"Wait. You already reached the final level?!" Setsura said with a gasp at his action and the katana he had drawn from the scabbard at his waist.

The scabbard was a stormy grey in colour with lightning bolts running through it. Along the hilt, stylized to appear like lightning, two separate strings of kanji were written on opposite sides of the scabbard **鳴神** **(Narukami)** and **雷雨** **(Raiu)**. The katana itself was a sight to behold. The hilt was a deep blue in colour with a white tsuka-ito. The tsuba was shaped like a group of storm clouds coming together. The blade seemed to be sharp enough to be able to even cut through the air around itself. Bolts of lightning among clouds were carved along the flat of the blade. Hikaru slowly slid into his stance, knees bent slightly, feet spread apart, the left before the right; both hands gripping the hilt tightly, arms bent and positioned in a thrust; the katana pointed at her, held at the same height as his heart, the tip of the blade gleaming in the light of the

As Setsura entered a defensive stance with the naginata held in a diagonally across her body, protecting her emblem, her eyes scanning the teen's stance, searching for openings.

 _Hmm… otouto, you are skilled. I can see no openings in your stance. And the fact that you have that katana proves that you completed your kenjutsu training._ _ **Raiu… Thunderstorm**_ _huh? I need to be careful. Let's go with the basic strategy and see how it branches out from there._

"Otouto, why are you not using that Orga Lux? If I remember correctly, you didn't use it against Ragris as well. Are you underestimating me by thinking me on the same level as her?" At the same time, she was creating spikes of ice behind him.

"Setsura-nee, I respect you. There is no way I could ever underestimate you. I will never disrespect you by using any Orga Lux or something like that. This sword, this Raiu, this sword that kaa-san passed on to me, I will use this sword only against the people I truly respect you. You are one of the few people I will fight while wielding this sword." He said sincerely, never moving out of his stance. Setsura's eyes widened in surprise at the sincere declaration and she smiled slightly.

"Besides, you are doing the same right? As much as that Fuyu no Shuen looks like an Orga Lux, it's not one, right? It's a weapon much like the Raiu, a weapon forged out of special materials."

"Haha… I can't fault you for that, I guess."

Suddenly, she launched the spikes of ice at the teen from behind, only to be repelled by a field of lightning around him.

"Kanmuru." He stated calmly.

"Looks like the basics didn't work." Setsura said with a small laugh while channeling her Prana. A sheet of ice started to spread out from beneath her feet.

"Guncho Tsurara!"

As she swung her naginata at him, icicles attacked him in a wide arc.

"Rakurai!"

Arcs of electricity hit the icicles while he jumped back. He sent wide arcs of lightning at her, only to be repelled by a thin wall of ice, which shattered after the attack.

"Hmm, hmm… Not bad, otouto. Good reflexes."

"Are you trying to seriously kill me, Setsura-nee?!"

"Hahaha, no way!" She replied happily as she sent wave after wave of icicles after him. "Why would I kill you, otouto?! You are my cute little brother after all!"

"Then stop sending sharp icicles after me with that look of happiness on your face!"

He dodged another wave of icicles before coming to a stop. A blizzard started to envelop the area they were in.

"Fusei Kakurei." Setsura said calmly. "You have anything else to combat this, otouto?"

Hikaru cursed internally. He could already feel the mana in the air dropping at a slow but steady rate. _I need to do something quick. Let's try something first though._

He sent a single bolt of lightning at her. Just as it seemed to reach her, an icy mist blocked it.

"Damn… the blizzard is a defensive field like I thought." He muttered under his breath. _Well,_ that _technique is still not combat ready yet. So I can't use it unless as a last resort. And there is nothing I can do to stop this blizzard._ As he considered possibilities, an idea struck him. _Or is there?_

Mind set, he ran at her while lightning danced across his feet. Small gouges were created in the ice as he ran towards her. Suddenly, spikes of ice rose up from the ground at him, interrupting his dash. As he jumped back, a spike stabbed him in the forearm, making him grunt before breaking the ice with a kick.

 _Damn, I haven't even reached her yet._

Setsura was looking at him, indifference in her eyes. _He is strong. But…_

As he ran towards her again, he swung the Raiu in a wide arc, shattering all the icicles which were sent his way. He plowed recklessly through the spikes in his way, shattering them without hesitation.

As he neared her, he was sporting various cuts on all over his body.

 _What the hell?! He's being reckless!_

Meanwhile, Hikaru was channeling his Prana to his body, augmenting the healing process. _Good that I can heal these wounds. Just a bit more and I can reach her._

As Setsura watched in shock, his wounds started to close rapidly before her eyes, disappearing as if they were never there. _Regenerative?! He has the same set of abilities as Rin-san?! Damn!_

Capitalising on her shock, he chose the moment to jump at her, striking with an overhead slash. She blocked with the Fuyu no Shuen. The sound of metal clashing went unheard in the fierce blizzard. She pushed the younger teen away before firing another wave of icicles at him.

"Tch. This is getting old, Setsura-nee!"

"Raikoho!" He put his palm forward as his Prana started to rise to unbelievable levels. The mana in the air started to concentrate around his palm, starting to change into lightning.

As the lightning gathering in his palm started to rise to unexplainable levels, Setsura started to use her own ability.

 _He's getting serious I guess! That is a big one for sure!_

Thick pillars and spikes of ice started to form between the two fighters, creating a shield against the slowly growing ball of lightning.

 _Raikoho… launch!_ Hikaru mentally commanded as the sphere of lightning shot off at incredible speeds. Lightning arced off the ball, destroying the spikes and pillars around it. The sphere of lightning crashed into the pillars and spikes, barrelling through each of the obstacle without opposition.

"Wha-?!" The black-haired girl reinforced the ice while creating a thick wall between the rapidly approaching lightning sphere and herself.

A screeching sound started to echo in the blizzard as the lightning sphere collided with the wall. Cracks started to appear in the wall. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning hit one of the cracks. Hikaru smirked as the crack widened just a little bit. He sent consecutive bolts of lightning at the cracks, widening them inch by inch.

Setsura grit her teeth as the ice wall started to slowly crack and the lightning cannon started to break through. _He's breaking through… looks like I need to use_ that _technique._

"Hyoro!" _I need to block him first!_

Pillars of ice started to form around Hikaru, surrounding him without any gaps. Hikaru swung his sword at the pillars, an arc of lightning leaving the blade and impacting with the pillar. His eyes narrowed slightly in frustration as the ice didn't even crack upon impact.

"Damn… the Raikoho is blocked and Rakurai is not working against her techniques. I need to think of something. I can't use that attack just yet."

Suddenly, the temperature dropped considerably, making his breath visible as snow flakes started to fall around him. The ice started to form flowers when it touched the ground. At the same time, he felt the Raikoho dissipate.

"Hyoten Hyakkaso." Setsura's voice reached his ears over the howl of the blizzard. "Otouto, you really are strong huh? No one has pushed me this much."

 _No one has pushed her this much? Then… this could be her trump card! Chance!_

His Prana rose again as it formed a protective shield around him, stopping the falling flakes. Flowers of ice formed in the air as he created a protective shield around himself.

 _Hyoten Hyakkaso… if she named her techniques after what they do, then… 100 flowers. Once the flowers reach 100, that is when her technique will end. That is the best moment._

He closed his eyes while reaching out with his Prana, Kanmuru already activated. The blizzard howling in his ears, the immense cold tickling his skin, the burning in his eyes, his own hair being covered by a sheet of snow, the subtle scent of jasmine; each and every minute detail reached his brain, all the data arranging themselves in their proper places to form a plan.

 _I need to make her believe that I lost. She needs to drop her guard. The only way is…_ He sighed internally. _Setsura-nee's going to be very angry when she finds out what I did. But… I need to do this._

He let the shield of Prana dissipate, allowing the flakes to touch his body. He winced as his shoulders and legs started to freeze slowly, flowers of ice forming on his body.

"Damn… it's cold. Now I understand where the Absolute came from." _But can she really go to Absolute Zero? Because that temperature is theoretically unachievable. But since when have Genestella, especially Strega and Dante, obeyed the laws of science? I must consider every possibility._

Slowly, he felt ice covering every part of his body, freezing him in place.

 _Damn, touch, sight and taste are useless like this. I need to rely on sound and scent. This whole area is saturated with Setsura-nee's Prana. I can't even use my Prana-sensing._

Meanwhile, outside the prison of ice pillars, Setsura slowly walked towards the frosty prison, feeling Hikaru's Prana drop.

 _He's almost out of energy, huh? But why am I getting a bad feeling about it? Maybe…_

She stabbed the Fuyu no Shuen into the ground while creating sharp claws of ice around her hands. As she neared the pillars, they shattered into shards of ice which fell to the ground.

She walked slowly towards the frozen teen, eyes peeled for any sign of movement. The flowers of ice started to shatter, leaving behind a thin sheet of ice on the teen, freezing him in place. Now visible, Setsura almost sighed. "Otouto, you really are strong. Forcing me to go this far… I regret staying away all these years. If kaa-chan had trained you as well, this could have gone differently." Her voice carried tones of sadness and regret along with an undertone of pride.

As she moved to cut his emblem with her claws, suddenly, the ice started to crack.

"Wha-?!" "BLITZ!" Hikaru suddenly shouted, the ice around him shattering in an instant as lightning surrounded him.

Suddenly, lightning bolts started to appear randomly from the frozen ground. Her eyes widened as she noticed the spots of attack.

 _Those gashes! A trap?!_

The lightning bolts all converged at her but she created spikes of ice around her. Just as it neared her, they bolts changed directions.

"What th-?!"

Hikaru cursed as the bolts of lightning all converged on one point, the Fuyu no Shuen.

As he turned to the spiked shield, the spikes dissipated into shards, revealing Setsura, panting slightly, a smile on her lips.

"You almost got me there, otouto."

"Heh, still didn't manage to hit you, Setsura-nee."

Setsura walked towards the Fuyu no Shuen, picking it up and twirling it slightly.

"Clever, but reckless. What if you had been frozen?! There is a reason it's named like that, baka!"

Hikaru didn't answer but ran towards her, panting from exertion. _That move took a lot out of me. And being frozen didn't help much. The trap is a waste too. My only chance is…_ His eyes locked onto the ice in the shaft of the naginata. _If I break it, then she will lose her weapon!_

He blitzed before her, Raiu already drawn and swung at the weapon in her hands. "Don't think badly of me for breaking the Fuyu no Shuen, Setsura-nee."

The blade connected with the ice just as she jumped back. Both of them waited in tense silence before Hikaru grinned. The ice started to crack at the point of impact before the cracks spread out like a web.

"Yosh! Now that your wea-"

"Now that my weapon is lost, otouto?" She finished for him as she held the two halves of the naginata in each hand. She then slid into a stance, which made Hikaru gasp.

He managed a chuckle as he recognised the stance. "Of course! You were right, Setsura-nee. I am a baka after all."

"Remembered it finally, otouto?" "How could I forget? The Fuyu no Shuen is a special weapon crafted for Setsuna-san."

"Just like the Raiu for Rin-san."

"A pair of wakizashi joined by ice. Even if I break the ice and damage the naginata, you still have a pair of wakizashi to fight with. And I know that you are skilled with both the naginata and dual-wielding wakizashi."

"Correct. So, ready to give up?"

"Nope." He settled into his stance, sword poised to strike, eyes observing Setsura for any subtle movements.

A single flake of snow started to fall to the ground. As it hit the ground, both of them dashed at each other. The sound of metal clashing against metal accompanied the howl of the blizzard. The blizzard eventually died down as the fight grew more intense. Sparks flew through the air as the two sword-users clashed. The blades blurred as they fought.

"You know, otouto. You have me beat in Prana, skill and physical ability. But…"

"I am inexperienced compared to you. And you were able to manipulate the whole fight from the beginning. I need experience and instinct!"

"Correct. Hm, this is fun."

Both of them had wide smiles on their faces, happiness reflected in their eyes.

"Yup. This is the most fun I had after coming here!" Hikaru gave an affirmative answer as his slash was parried and he quickly twisted to avoid a slash of her own.

Suddenly, he sped up as lightning seemed to dance around him. His attacks grew faster and stronger as he attacked Setsura with renewed vigor, pushing her back by a little bit.

The girl herself grunted slightly as each hit carried a small lightning bolt in it, shocking her with each parry and block.

 _I can't even attack him like this without getting injured myself! Just how many tricks does he have up his sleeves?_

Hikaru went on the offensive as he slashed at one of the swords. She struggled against his superior strength before she twisted her wrist a bit, creating a small opening.

As she slashed at him, the teen immediately jumped back. Blood flew in the air as her attack connected. "Otouto!" Setsura called out in worry as he fell to his knees, clutching his bleeding leg.

"I'm fine. We'll continue!" He said defiantly.

"With that sort of injury, you ca-"

He jumped at her with an overhead slash, making her execute a cross block before pushing him off and going on the offensive.

Eventually, his speed decreased. He sustained a greater number of wounds while leaving only small cuts on Setsura.

Setsura held the two wakizashi at her sides and looked at the teen opposite her. There were various cuts across his body, and he was bleeding profusely.

"Just stop, otouto."

"No!" _I can't stop here. I can't be weak again!_

He stood up on unsteady feet, his grip loose and weak.

"Otou-"

"Not again! I can't be weak! I can't be seen as weak!" He shouted more to himself than anything as he attempted one last attack on her.

Setsura stood still as he neared her, only to fall short.

As he blacked out, he felt a pair of hands catch him, a soft voice whispering, "Tch… why do you have to go to this level, otouto? You are already this strong."

A faint smile appeared on his face as he blacked out.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

He was running through the traffic on the footpath.

 _Geez, Arashi… why the hell did he have to push this duty onto me?! And on such short notice!_

He was dressed in the Seidoukan uniform, with the only addition being the white scarf around his neck. He dashed inside the hotel and to the elevator, tapping his foot impatiently against the floor as he waited.

As the doors opened, he disappeared in a burst of speed, surprising the people who were in the elevator.

He appeared in a garden, where streams rilled and flowers bloomed. A European-style gazebo stood in the centre of the garden, furnished with a white hexagonal table. Four figures were seated at the table.

Stopping to catch his breath, he said, "Hey… I'm not late, am I?"

A blonde youth smiled at him, dressed in the pristine whites of Saint Galahadsworth Academy. A sword-type Lux hung in its holster at his waist and his blue eyes showed friendliness.

"Welcome. I take it that you are the new Vice-President, correct?"

"Yeah. Narukami Hikaru, nice to meet you. Ernest Fairclough-san, right?"

"Nice to meet you."

Hikaru immediately noticed the man opposite him. Dull, rusty hair and menacing eyes glaring at seemingly everything, dressed in the black uniform which could only represent Rewolf.

"Hey, Ernest… that alright with you?" He paused for an answer before proceeding. "I am here on time, right?"

"Yes."

"Then why the hell is that guy glaring as if I kicked him or something?" He asked bluntly, making the said man to growl while Ernest laughed slightly.

"Please excuse him. His demeanour seem-"

He was rudely interrupted by the subject of their conversation. "What I look like is none of your concern, brat!"

Hikaru raised his arms in surrender. "Geez, no need to get that aggressive."

Hikaru calmly observed the other two occupants of the table.

A young girl sat at the table next to Ernest, her hair was tied into pigtails with butterfly clips, and her face was alight with the smile of youthful innocence. Her eyes betrayed her innocence however. They held a certain maturity and wisdom in them. _Fan Xinglou, strongest in Jie Long Seventh and the third Banyuu Tenra._ His eyes narrowed as he remembered a particular detail from the letter written to him by his mother. _Any person with the title of Banyuu Tenra is extremely dangerous. Kaa-san herself said so. I need to be careful around her._ He extended his senses to feel her power. _And this amount of Prana… she is stronger than Arashi or Setsura-nee by a long shot!_

His eyes flicked over to the other occupant of the table. Whether it was his average physique, his small eyes or black hair, he was a thoroughly unremarkable individual. He was like a shadow, a being without presence. _Sakon Shuuma, President of Arlequint and member of… Ferrovius, was it? Doesn't look dangerous but I can't take the chances._

"Oi, what are we waiting for? Aren't all people present?"

Hikaru glanced at the empty chair next to him and said, "Queenvail's President is not yet here. Why don't we wait for her? It's not like we are late or anything."

As Dirk Eberwein tried to protest against it, Hikaru added, "Besides, the meeting is supposed to start at 10:30. And it's just past 9:30. Why don't we wait for some time?"

"A good point." Ernest said with a slight smile. "Hikaru-san, you are a sword-user, correct?" Turning to Hikaru, he asked good-naturedly.

"Yeah. But I can hold my own without a sword as well."

"Which sword do you possess, if I may ask?"

Hikaru simply said, "Show me your sword and I'll show you my Orga Lux."

In an instant, a pure white blade appeared in his hand. "Lei-Glems, right? Well, this is my sword."

Hikaru pushed his Prana to the Orga Lux strapped to his wrist and the pitch-black blade appeared in his hands, an aura of menace radiating from it.

He saw Xinglou raise an eyebrow at the sight of the sword.

"Narukami Rin's sword. I take it that you are her son, boy." Turns out that he didn't take kindly to being called a boy by someone younger than him.

"You are correct… chibi." He said with a blank look on his face.

Xinglou gained an all-too-sweet smile on her face at the jab before she said, "That dragon must be bugging you, right?"

"That is on a need-to-know basis, as in, you don't need to know."

He deactivated his Orga Lux promptly and said, "Seems like Queenvail's President is coming."

True to his words, the sound of footsteps was heard as a girl around his age ran into the garden. Her purple hair shined in the air, her purple eyes were always bright.

As Hikaru caught sight of her, his eyes widened.

The girl stopped in her tracks as she saw him.

At the same time, they spoke. "Sylvie!/Hikaru-kun!"

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

All of them were seated at the table, the two newcomers having gotten over their surprise.

"You were acquainted, I presume?" Ernest inquired.

"Childhood friends. Now, can we proceed with this? If looks could kill, this world would be destroyed with the way that Eberwein over there is glaring at everything."

As Dirk fumed at his words, Hikaru opened a window mid-air.

The meeting seemed to proceed smoothly. As it neared its end, Dirk looked at Hikaru with a firm stare.

"There is something I need to know, Raijin."

With narrowed eyes, Hikaru asked, "What?"

"What is the involvement of Tatsuya Corp. in Seidoukan?"

"What do you mean?" His voice contained the slightest tones of anger.

With a smirk, Dirk continued. "If I recall correctly, Rewolf made a request to your company a few months back. And the CEO, _you_ rejected the offer."

"I'm too young to be the CEO." Hikaru countered.

Suddenly, a screen appeared before him, playing a video.

 _That time… Damn it!_

" **Tatsuya-Narukami Hikaru, CEO of Tatsuya Corp., at your service."**

His voice was clearly heard. Hikaru grit his teeth and said, "What of it?"

"Rewolf was rejected and Seidoukan gets help? No matter what, that is doubtful. And when you add in the fact that the CEO is in the same school and friends with the President, I have to wonder whether this was favoritism. And that can't be allowed, since deals between outside companies and a school have to go through the respective parent company and there hasn't been any news of such."

 _I see where this is going._

"And that brings me to the point. Since there is no official talk of anything, this must mean that it is favoritism or something similar. Care to explain, Raijin?"

As Hikaru glared at him, Dirk continued, "Because if I remember correctly, both you and your supposed sister are friends with the President."

Immediately, killing intent rose in droves as he glared at Dirk.

"What are you implying, Tyrant?"

"Nothing."

 _You bastard… he's indirectly threatening Setsura-nee. And I can't do anything against it._

Taking a moment to calm himself down, Hikaru said, "What Tatsuya Corp. does is none of your business, Dirk Eberwein. If that is all, then I will leave."

He stood up and turned towards the door.

Dirk's voice stopped him. "I wonder, is your sister fine? I have heard that she has a rare illness. You shouldn't do anything to worry her. Her illness may be aggravated."

Suddenly, the air itself seemed to become thicker and many of them had trouble breathing while his killing intent returned in full force, uncontrolled and affecting everyone around him.

Bolts of lightning sparked off him and his Orga Lux shook menacingly. Bolts of lightning struck the pillar behind the Tyrant and the pillar was crushed instantly.

Hikaru looked over his shoulder and glared at Dirk. His eyes were a bloody crimson, striking fear into the hearts of those who gazed into them.

"Tyrant, I will tell you only one thing. If she is hurt, when I find who did it, I will make sure that they go through an experience worse than hell itself."

He left with these words.

Sylvia stared at his retreating back as the killing intent vanished, allowing them to breathe.

 _Hikaru-kun… he's changed._

A small giggle brought their attention to Xinglou.

"That child is strong, like his mother was. I wonder if I can convince him to come to Jie Long."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Hikaru entered the modest Japanese-styled house and followed after Setsura.

"Kaa-chan, I'm home. And I brought otouto with me." Setsura announced before stepping in.

The two students were on a much-needed break after a hectic 3 months of duels and fans.

"So, Rank#1, how does it feel?"

"Not you too, Setsura-nee." Hikaru whined.

Suddenly, he brought out the Narukami as he heard a crash and ran inside. In the kitchen, a woman with features similar to Setsura was on the floor, a pot of tea next to her.

"Setsuna-san, what happened?!"

Setsura ran in and immediately knelt next to her mother. "Kaa-chan, are you alright?! Wake up! Kaa-chan!"

"Setsura-nee, get some water. Hurry!"

As the girl ran towards the sink, Hikaru sent his Prana to his eyes and bit back a gasp.

 _She's ill. And it's terminal._

He immediately dialed Ryu. "Ryu, get Rei. And tell her to come to my location. You too. You will drive."

" **Understood, Hikaru-sama."**

He picked the unconscious woman up and placed her on a futon. As Setsura ran in with a bowl of water and a clean cloth, Hikaru said, "Good. Setsura-nee, I don't know this area much. Ryu's coming. He will drive you to a shop in the area. Get these medicines for her fever."

"Shouldn't we take her to a doctor?"

"One of my friends is a doctor. She will look at Setsuna-san while you get the medicine. I guess she overworked herself and fell unconscious due to that."

"But!"

"Don't worry. I will look after her." He said and at the same moment, Ryu entered the room along with a woman with raven hair and sea-blue eyes.

"Where is she?" The woman shouted before looking at the unconscious woman.

"Setsura-nee, the medicines, quick! Ryu, drive!"

The two of them disappeared into the hallway while the woman, Rei, looked at the woman. Hikaru could see Prana concentrated around her eyes and relaxed slightly.

"Boss, she's ill."

"I know. How bad?"

"Very. I'm afraid that she can't be saved."

"Can't you do anything?" Before the woman answered, a struggled cough made them look down where the unconscious Yuki was slowly waking up.

"Rin?" She asked before blinking a few times.

"Who are you?"

"Hikaru. Rin is my mother. It's good to see you again, Setsuna-san."

"I *cough* remember you."

"Please don't strain yourselves. You are already ill as it is." Rei said.

"I know. I don't have much time left."

"What is this disease, Setsuna-san? I saw the same disease affecting Setsura too when I knocked her unconscious in a duel by mistake."

"So you are friends with Setsura-chan. Good. She will have someone for her when I die."

"I know it may not be much, but we could try something which will, at worst case, spread the disease even further and at best case, prolong your life by a few months." Rei offered.

"What is it?"

"We will introduce the Prana-infused cells of a Regenerative into your body. If it is done in time and in the correct way, then we may be able to potentially remove the illness too."

"Regenerative?"

"I am a Regenerative, partly."

"That is why I am saying that it is dangerous."

"Rei-san, when can I undergo the procedure?"

"Well, we need to do some documentation."

"There's no need for that. Rei, I am accepting responsibility."

"But!"

"The Yuki family swore an oath of fealty to the Narukami family. Basically, they are my people. I am willing to accept responsibility. Now, do the procedure."

"I need a proper room. We need to go the HQ again."

"Can she be moved?"

"If you use that lightning dragon something, then she can be moved. You or that girl can protect her by using the ice powers you have."

"Good. We will do that."

He called Ryu and said, "Ryu, turn around. We are going to HQ. Tell Setsura-nee that we are taking her to a hospital for a small operation and she needs to give blood."

" **Understood."**

 **1 hour later**

Hikaru was standing near a bed next to Setsuna and said, "I'm beginning."

"It will hurt a little. And by little, I mean a lot." Rei warned.

Setsuna nodded and Hikaru then closed his eyes. Everything appeared in colors and smoke and he nodded to himself. He looked at himself, the color was a white surrounding a mixture of red and blue.

He concentrated his Prana and sent it towards his blood in the right arm. His right arm glowed a bright white colour before he felt the blood leaving his arm. He grit his teeth at the pain and said, "Ryu, knock Setsuna-san unconscious every time she wakes up."

"Understood."

Ryu put two fingers on the woman's forehead and she fell unconscious. This process continued for a few minutes before Rei said, "It's finished. It was a success."

"Good."

"Ryu, wake her up."

"Hai."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

It was almost an year since Hikaru entered Seidoukan and he was now very famous as the Raijin of Seidoukan Academy.

Hikaru was now very close with the Student Council, Setsura and Kyouko, being seen with them very often. He and Arashi were almost like brothers, being seen training together often by many students and faculty. He often acted like Arashi's assistant and helper, along with Setsura on some rare occasions.

Setsura herself was on vacation and was looking after her mother.

Hikaru was in the Student Council Room, sitting opposite Arashi and reviewing the files of all students. The two students were the only ones in the spacious room.

A few moments after, Arashi put aside a stack of papers and stretched his muscles.

"I'm finished with this stack too. Hikaru, you finished?"

"Yup, Arashi. I'm finished. I triple-checked them and still no discrepancies. Hey, let's exchange the files."

"Alright."

The two exchanged the stacks of papers and got to work again, while making small talk.

"You know, I didn't think you could do paperwork that fast."

"Arashi, I am the head of the biggest company in Japan. Of course I will have to do paperwork. Since I can use my ability to increase my processing speed, I was able to do things quickly."

"That's almost cheating. You used that thing in our fight in our duel too."

"How does it feel? To get your ass kicked by someone younger than you?"

"Honestly? I feel relieved. Now you are the one who is feeling the dread known as fangirls."

"Spare me."

The two then got back to work and Hikaru asked suddenly, "Huh? Arashi, this is the data of all the students right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"No, nothing." _Haruka-nee is not here. What happened? The data itself was deleted._

Hikaru then said, "But still, Arashi, you work me too much. Who even works in the vacation?"

"I would have split it between the two breaks but you disappeared with your sis-"

A bolt of lightning hit the Student Council President. "I went home. I think I am entitled to a break, even if I am the Vice-President."

"Yes. I will

A few hours later, both of the teens were lying on opposite couches, exhausted and frustrated.

"We found nothing."

"Let's report to Kyouko-sensei and get this thing closed. It's been almost 6 months and there is nothing."

"It may have been an error."

"Yeah." He rubbed his forehead while saying, "My head hurts. Arashi, next time, have someone as a helper. Or I'm not coming."

"Yeah. Me too."

The door to the Student Council room slid open and Claudia entered, holding two trays filled with food.

"Claudia-chan, where did you go? You said that you would help us."

"Claudia, you lied."

"Eh? I didn't. I said that I would be a little late."

"Late? You ditched us, Claudia-chan." Arashi said before Hikaru said, "Claudia, you brought the hot chocolate I asked for, right?"

"Yes, Hikaru-kun."

"Thanks."

He took the cup and drank it instantly, the heat not even affecting him.

"Hot chocolate in the cold is the best." He said, more to himself than the others.

"Chocolate lover." Hikaru calmly ignored Arashi's words.

"Claudia-chan, can you call Yatsuzaki-sensei and tell her that we can't find any clues on the case?"

"Alright, Arashi-kaichou."

As soon as Claudia left, Hikaru said, "Arashi, you had the Ser-Veresta checked for any damage, right?"

"Yes. There was no integral damage, just some superficial damage. Signs of use, the like."

"I see. Well, let's leave it at that." Hikaru then stood up.

"The ranking matches are next week, Hikaru. I hope you are prepared. Even you may have to go all-out if the Yuki Onna decides to fight you."

"I will see what I can do, Arashi. Claudia is strong in her own right. Both you and Setsura-nee are at similar levels to mine. If I use Narukami fully, then you or her won't be able to beat me."

"You mean when you used it against me?"

"Yes."

"You still reme-"

BOOM!

Whatever Arashi wanted to say was interrupted by a series of loud explosions which echoed in their ears.

Both the teens were immediately alert, drawing their Orga Lux and standing alert. They both ran towards the window and jumped out of it, using their Prana to cushion their landing.

"It came from the Central Area, near Hotel Elnath and Sirius Dome at the same time. And also from the Commerce Area and some areas in the Administrative Area. And…" Arashi gasped as smoke rose from one of the buildings in the grounds.

"Seidoukan Academy also." Hikaru and Arashi spoke at the same time.

At the same time, the speakers flared to life all around Asterisk.

" **Attention, Asterisk! Attention, world! We are the Void Order! We now have the whole area of Seidoukan Academy under our control!"**

The two teens didn't resist as armed men dressed in black cloaks with an emblem on the back and sleeves took them away.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Cliffhanger! Or maybe not… anyway, the second chapter is successfully finished. Almost as long as the first chapter. I changed a few things, like the line spacing and the separating markers, by replacing horizontal lines with XXXX… and next is the Orga Lux speaking. I think you guys will be able to understand easily about the changes.**

 **As for the next chapter, expect it to be published by next week at max. My house is under renovation and I may not be able to make some time for this. But I will try to update as soon as possible.**

 **Also, thanks to Hero King Gilgamesh. You helped me very much in the writing and the ideas for the future chapters. Thanks, dude!**

 **Next chapter will consist of the Void Order and a bit of Hikaru's past and Arashi's past as well, along with their duel on the first day.**

 **Look forward to it!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Back with Chapter 3.**

 **This chapter, as previously stated, will contain Hikaru's and Arashi's pasts, their duel on day one, and the Void Order.**

 **Seidoukan Academy's Rank#0, Raijin**

 **Chapter 3**

 **Memories and Void**

 **Seidoukan Academy**

 **Auditorium**

All the students of Seidoukan Academy were in the auditorium. All the doors were locked and there were armed men standing guard outside.

"These guys… they're pretty serious." Hikaru muttered as he, Arashi and Claudia all stood up. Immediately, a bullet tore through the glass and hit Hikaru in the arm.

He grunted in pain as some of the students screamed in fear while Arashi and Claudia immediately looked at his injury in shock.

Hikaru then knelt down while putting his hands up in surrender.

He crawled on all fours towards one of the walls where big white cardboards were kept along with marker pens and wrote in big letters and displayed the message from one of the open windows.

The message read, **A few students will check the other students for any injury and treat them if needed. We request that you do not shoot at us.**

Nothing happened for a few moments before a powerful red laser light fell on the cardboard, burning holes on it. The laser light stopped after some time and Hikaru turned it around.

 **We will not shoot as long as you don't make any sudden movements.**

"Good." He stood up slowly and said, "Arashi, Claudia, stand up slowly. The snipers will not shoot at us as long as we don't make any sudden movements."

"Are you alright, Hikaru?" Arashi asked.

"Yeah. This is nothing. As long as I remove the bullet, the wound will heal in a few hours."

Hikaru then said loudly, "Everyone. Is there anyone who is injured? If you are, no matter how small, raise your hand. If there is anyone who can administer first aid, I want you to stand up, very slowly. No sudden movements."

Slowly, about 3 dozen students stood up and many hands went up.

After coordinating the students, Hikaru and Arashi stood at the head of the group before sinking to the floor.

"Hey, your arm is still not fine."

"Give me a hand." Hikaru slowly coated his hand with Prana and then sent his Prana to his left arm.

Electricity coated his left arm. "It's temporarily numb."

Hikaru then slowly removed the bullet from his left arm and held it in the palm of his right hand. He observed the bullet closely and levitated it a bit.

"These guys, they're experts."

"Huh?"

"Look at it closely." Hikaru said.

"Hard to do with the blood covering it." Arashi said.

"Yeah. But I saw it. The bullets, they don't have any symbols or markings or any make or model number or anything. Nothing which will identify it. We can't trace it back to anybody."

"And?"

"Even if they get caught, we won't get any information, like who employed them. And I doubt they would tell us anything if we ask them nicely."

"Yup. So what do we do to pass the time?"

"How about-"

The door swung open with a slam and a dozen armed terrorists barged in.

Hikaru stood up slowly along with Arashi.

"Yes? What do you need?"

The apparent leader ignored the Student Council President and shouted, "This thing is big enough! Bring them in!"

Suddenly, many female students were brought in at gunpoint, obviously scared.

"Queenvail?" Arashi questioned as he recognised the pink and white uniform.

Suddenly, both he and Hikaru ran towards the group, pushing aside the terrorists.

"Sylvie!"

Leaning on another person and walking slowly was a purple-haired girl with purple eyes. She looked very injured and also very weak. Hikaru could make out the stains of blood on her uniform quite easily.

Arashi gently scooped here up in his arms and laid her on the floor gently, laying her on his uniform jacket.

"What happened?! Who did this?!"

"The idiotic bitch tried to fight our leader. He didn't even break a sweat." The apparent leader said with a glee-filled voice.

Hikaru kneeled next to her.

"Get me some water! Immediately!" Arashi shouted.

A bottle of water was in his hands immediately and Arashi gently put the bottle to her lips, letting her drink the cool water slowly.

"Arashi, her injuries are severe."

"I know! What do we do? With the level of expertise, we can't-"

"I'll try something. It worked previously. I'll try a modified version of it." Hikaru then removed his jacket and threw it to the ground.

Arashi looked quite shocked at the scars running along the length of his arms. His T-shirt stuck to his body while half of his arms were left uncovered.

The scars of various wounds were present on his arms. _Are those scars from knife stabs?_

Hikaru then took the coat and rolled up the sleeves halfway. There were pockets inside the sleeves and something was inside them.

Hikaru then removed something from the pockets and Arashi looked at it closely.

"Hey, is that a knife?"

"Yes."

He positioned the knife at his left arm and numbed it again. In one clean movement, the knife was lodged inside his arm, making Arashi move to remove it, withholding a gasp.

"Are you mad?!"

"Wait."

His left arm glowed with Prana and Hikaru moved his left hand to Sylvie's body, hovering above her forehead.

As he watched, her wounds started to close and heal slowly, while Hikaru panted in exhaustion. Once her last wound closed and started to heal, Hikaru sat back and removed the knife before letting Claudia wrap a bandage around the wound, tying it tightly. He thanked her with a tired smile and said, "I know what you are going to say. I knew what I was doing."

"Really?"

"Yes. I tried this once already."

"I will believe you this time then."

Hikaru looked at the girl on the ground and said, "She is asleep. She will wake up in a few hours."

He looked at the leader and asked, "Can you bring the teachers here? The younger students are scared. It will reassure them. Please."

"Fine." He answered, a bit rudely. "Oi, get those stupid teachers here! Both the schools! Once that is done, go outside and stand guard!"

"Y-yes sir!"

Arashi asked in a low voice, "What are you doing?!"

"Like I said. Most of the younger students are scared. Having the teachers around will reassure them. Also, we can have them look after the students while we make plans."

A few minutes later, the auditorium was filled with teachers and students, many of them scared out of their wits.

Hikaru, Arashi, Claudia and Kyouko sat in a circle, Arashi glancing at Sylvia every now and then to check on her condition.

"Kyouko-sensei, it's better that we don't make any moves right now."

"We can't stay like this forever, Narukami."

"Yeah? If we make sudden movements, then we're dead. I'm not getting a bullet in my arm or anywhere near me for that matter. And we don't know who the leader is and how powerful he is."

Suddenly, an oppressive pressure bore down on them, making most of them fall unconscious and the stronger ones to still stay conscious but most of them were shaking in fear. The doors opened and a man with an oppressive and overbearing aura stepped in.

He wore a black cloak, black gloves and boots, and a black mask covering his face.

His cold golden eyes were visible through two slits in the mask. His black hair went past his shoulders and there was an emblem on the cloak.

The emblem of Void Order. A white void sucking in everything around it.

Hikaru started shaking uncontrollably and Arashi placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hikaru, you alright? What happened?"

Hikaru's head was down and his hair was covering his eyes. Unnoticed by everyone, he reached for his Orga Lux while his face twisted with anger and hatred. His hair slowly spiked up while lightning crackled in the air. The sound of lightning crackling was clear in the silence and Hikaru stood up slowly, stepping out of the circle and walked towards the man. He took the Narukami in his hand and activated it, the pitch-black blade pulsing angrily with energy. The terrorists around him started to fire at him, only for their efforts to fail. The bullets which were fired at him all stopped in mid-air and fell down to the ground, useless.

The teen suddenly lunged at the man, his sword poised to strike.

"YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU!"

The white kimono and hakama appeared again along with the black dragon. Suddenly, the teen was blasted back by an unknown force.

A loud crash echoed as the teen was thrown into one of the steel lockers, denting them from the force.

He fell down and weakly tried to get up. The man appeared before him suddenly before kicking the teen in the gut and the head.

"You are that brat who escaped, all those years ago. I remember you, you were frozen in fear. Your stupid parents had to protect you."

"D-don't in-insult them!" Hikaru spat out weakly, along with coughing some blood.

"What will you do? You are still weak. Your parents were killed by me that day. You are still weak, because you lack hatred. You lack resolve, _boy_. And you lack power. That is why you cannot harm me. That is why you cannot touch me. You cannot stop me! You cannot stop us! You will just lay down and die, watching as your friends, your family, _everyone_ you care about will die. They will die and you will be too weak to protect them. Once you are truly broken, only then will I kill you."

The blue-haired teen fell unconscious while Arashi ran towards the teen, brushing past the man and standing protectively before Hikaru, the Crescent Moon in his hands.

"Leave him alone!"

"I have no use for him. I will leave him and when I break him, only then will I kill him. Until then, he will live in fear of me."

The man left the room, leaving many unconscious and scared students and teachers, an unconscious and injured teen and three thoroughly confused people concerned for the blue-haired teen.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Seidoukan Academy**

The leader of Void Order sat at a desk, while a few others sat to his right and left, all of them wearing black cloaks and masks.

"My lord, was it really necessary?"

"Master Reaper, who is that boy?"

"That boy is the son of our primary target. And now, an obstacle but nothing more than a weakling."

"Then we should kill him right now."

"Do not bother wasting time with those weaklings." The man now known as Reaper said authoritatively.

"Yes, Master Reaper." All of them echoed.

They discussed their plans for a long time, the dangerous plans concerning Asterisk slowly coming to fruition.

 **Auditorium, Seidoukan Academy**

Many of the students and teachers, who were still conscious anyway, were quite shocked and scared at seeing the strongest student of their academy getting tossed around like a ragdoll.

"That Narukami… he was beaten like a ragdoll."

"Who was that guy?"

"What did he talk about?'

Meanwhile, said Narukami was waking up slowly, resting against the wall.

Arashi and Sylvia were right next to him. "Hikaru!/ Hikaru-kun! Thank god you woke up!"

The teen rubbed his head, still disoriented. He tried to get up, only for Arashi to hold him down.

"Where's he?!"

"He left. Stay down. You're not going anywhere!"

"But!"

"You. Are. Not. Going. Anywhere."

Hikaru seemed to recognise the tone in his voice and obeyed, slumping down against the wall. "Fine."

"Who is he?"

Hikaru was conflicted for a few seconds before he said, "It's a long story."

"We have time."

"Fine. He was the guy who fatally injured my parents. He was about to kill me but my mother stopped him and somehow manipulated her abilities to cause an explosion. He and I were injured. My parents died. Then he tried to send some assassins after me but I killed them while under Narukami's control."

"Wait, stop there. Your parents were killed or at least, almost killed by him. And he tried to kill you but failed."

"Yes."

"And then he tried to have you killed afterwards but failed."

"That's correct."

"And when you saw him, you lost control of your emotions and attacked him, resulting in you getting to-"

"Tossed around like a ragdoll, yes. Don't remind me of that. I'm getting that enough from the students whispering among themselves."

"Sorry. But how strong is he? And his ability…"

"I guess it is to control gravity." Hikaru said, wincing a bit as he moved.

"Gravity?" The violet-haired girl asked, confused.

"Sylvie here could not touch him. I can understand that a bit because she is not as fast as you or me. However, even Hikaru couldn't get a strike in." Arashi summarised. "He was controlling gravity. Basic physics, any two things have gravity acting between them. So he controlled the gravity between you and him."

"That's right, I guess. I felt a force pushing me back when I tried to attack him. That's the only explanation possible."

"Apart from telekinesis."

"No. Even though it is possible, in this case, Sylvie, it's wrong. Because if he used telekinesis, then I would feel weightless or something, not a force resisting against me. That means he used the surroundings to stop me."

"But I didn't feel anything like that."

Hikaru immediately looked up, his neck almost suffering from whiplash. "What?!"

Arashi then said, "If what you both say is true, then he has two abilities. Just like Hikaru."

"Then it's hard to beat him."

"Beat him? We can't even touch him, Hikaru."

"I will kill him, one way or the other, Arashi." Hikaru said with anger clear in his voice.

Any further discussion was cut off by the screen in the auditorium coming to life. The Void Order's emblem appeared on one of the screens while the second screen had a video feed.

"That's us. The whole of Seidoukan Academy's cameras, at least the parts where there are people. These guys are professionals."

"Arashi's right. Look outside, at all the entrances, there are members of the Stjarnagarm. However, they can't enter, because the Void Order has hostages. If they even try to take one step into Seidoukan grounds, they will start killing us. And that's not their only plan."

"If my guess is correct, they are trying to destroy Asterisk. And the best way to do that is-"

"Blow up the ballast tanks. Those things are the ones keeping Asterisk afloat. If the ballast tanks are destroyed, then Asterisk will sink."

"And they blew up all the airports and ports too. No one can escape from the island."

"Correction. _We_ can't escape, Arashi." Hikaru said darkly. "The IEF executives, Stjarnagarm executives, anyone who is someone in Asterisk will be able to stay safe. Helicopters and airships are present in here."

"Hikaru-kun, why attack only Seidoukan and Queenvail?"

"One. They are near. Two, and I mean no offense, Queenvail is not a place known for fighters. Three, there is someone on the inside helping them out, planting the explosives around Seidoukan. Four, the security of Seidoukan, when used properly, grants them an advantage. Five, Jie Long is too big and too strong for them to take. They don't have enough manpower to attempt an attack on Galahadsworth while simultaneously keeping watch over the hostages. Lewolf and Arlequint are impenetrable. Six, the other schools need some sort of transport. The moment they step out, they will be blasted to pieces."

"But if they take some students-"

"The students will be written off as martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the 'greater good' of Asterisk. They don't care about students like they care about themselves. That's a cold, hard fact of Asterisk."

"Quite a morbid thinking you have."

"Arashi, you know that too. We are, right now, just sacrificial pawns for them. And the reason they can't do anything, is because there are many 'pawns' for them who are useful. Me-the guy who defeated the Rank 3 with almost no injuries in record time and went on to become the first unranked student to become a Rank 1; you-someone whom the Guard Captain herself invited to join the Stjarnagarm-and the Student Council President; Sylvia, Claudia, and many others. That is the only thing keeping us alive."

"However, that won't be enough afterwards. If things start to get rough, they will abandon the island and us. That's the eventual fate left for us."

"Wait. You said that Arlequint and Lewolf are impenetrable. Why?"

"Arlequint will have many traps and puppets and all laid out for them to give a grand welcome to these guys. They will lose more than they will gain. Lewolf… tell me you haven't forgotten about last year's Lindwurm winner."

"Ereshkigal."

"Right. Miasma… odourless, tasteless, poisonous, transparent. By the time they even step towards the gate, half of them will be dead. And the other possibility, the road leading to Lewolf will be collapsed. They won't have any means to enter. Jie Long has many hand-to-hand fighters along with their Doashi experts. And they have the Banyuu Tenra as well. So they can't take Jie Long."

"You know quite a lot, Hikaru-kun."

"I do research a lot. From the time I decided to enter Asterisk, I have been researching about the academies and their locations, everything."

"I see." Sylvia muttered.

"Well, right now, there's nothing we can do." Arashi said with a sigh.

"So, tell me, Hikaru. How do you know Sylvie?"

"She is a childhood friend. And how do you know her?"

"She is like a sister to me. Wait, childhood friend. And both of you forgot to mention this to me when you had obviously met at the meetings… why?"

Hikaru had an interested look on his face as he leaned a bit forward.

"Ho… now that is interesting. I didn't hear about your past even once till now, Arashi."

"You won't like it. My past, well, before I met Sylvie, is pretty dark."

"It doesn't matter, Arashi."

"You may come to hate me."

"Hey, I killed people and I don't see you hating me." Hikaru said and then punched the teen in the shoulder. "Just tell me."

"Where should I begin?" He put a hand to his chin and thought deeply.

"Let's see. Firstly, my name is Arashi, not Kaito."

"We already know that, onii-chan." Sylvia said, tilting her head cutely in confusion.

"Well, someone *cough* Hikaru *cough* thought that Kaito was my name and commented that it sounded lame."

"Hey, you spoke it differently."

"I was raised in the US. And that's why I speak and write it like that."

"Continue."

"As you may know, I am a Dante and my power is control over darkness. I awakened it the first time when I was lost in the woods at night. And my parents hated Genestella _very_ much."

Hikaru could already see where this was heading to and said, "They neglected and abused you, right?"

Arashi removed his uniform jacket and shirt, revealing his toned body. However, there was one more thing that made the violet-haired girl gasp and the blue-haired boy clench his fist in anger.

Many scars littered his body, including the torso, arms and back.

 _Knives, lashings, hammers and… pliers._

"Not just my parents, my family was a large joint family. I was the only Genestella. My uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters, cousins, all of them."

"Seriously, you have a messed-up family."

"Don't I know it?"

He then buttoned up his shirt again, leaving the jacket at his side. "Like Hikaru, I had my Orga Lux before entering Seidoukan Academy."

"How did you find it? I had mine because my mom was its previous wielder but that's not the case with you, right?"

"My parents neglected me very much and I got some part-time jobs and exploring. I self-studied at the library and since my place was pretty rural, there were forests and caves near. I found this in a cave."

"Cave?"

"I manipulated the darkness inside the cave and had no difficulty finding the deepest part of the cave. Once I touched it, however, that's when shit went to hell."

They gestured for him to continued.

"Crescent Moon's price is torment. It torments the user by making them hear the screams. The screams of all the previous wielders and also the screams of the people whose blood was spilled by the Crescent Moon."

"Meaning, all those who killed and were killed using the Crescent Moon." Hikaru said.

"That's one way of putting it."

"When did you get it?"

"When I was 5 or something, I guess."

"I'm impressed, Arashi. Though I am more powerful than you, you are _stronger_ than me."

"Don't those words mean the same thing, Hikaru-kun?" Sylvia asked in confusion.

"No. Even something with power is useless if it can't be controlled." Arashi said wisely.

"Arashi has the mental strength to not go insane from the Crescent Moon's price. If what he said is true, he is one of the few to use it effectively."

"No. I lost control once."

His voice had a grim tone as he continued. "They pushed me too far once. Almost dislocated my arm. I lost control. My anger and hatred controlled me. Everything was drowned in darkness. I simply sort of spaced out. When I woke up again, I had the Crescent Moon in my hand and _those_ _people_ lay dead, cut to pieces." He spat the word with venom.

"Then you fled to the US."

"And that was where I met Sylvie, when I was 8."

"I will tell it from here. He saved me from being bullied."

"I just let them be enveloped in darkness and led away Sylvie."

"Hmm… so that was where Sylvie was. She used to live in Tokyo in my neighbourhood before my parents were killed. Were you taken in by Ursula-san?"

"Yes. She taught me to control my powers and emotions. When I was the appropriate age, I came to Asterisk and entered Seidoukan Academy."

"And you drastically changed the academy." Hikaru added.

"You could call it that. I exposed the corrupt guys and had them thrown in jail. Then I was unanimously elected President."

"And that's where I come in. In your first year as President, I arrived at Asterisk."

"And you made some chaos which I had to deal with."

"Don't blame me. Blame the idiots who wanted to challenge me."

"Fine, fine. But you were really powerful."

"Thank you, Rank#1."

"Wait! Former?!"

"I beat him when I joined Seidoukan, 2 months after the start of the term. And I've been Rank#1 ever since."

"I still remember that battle."

"First time I had to go all-out."

"What happened? I want the details!" Sylvia said, almost leaning over the two teens.

"Calm down. I'll tell you." Arashi said as the responsible one and started narrating their battle.

 **Flashback**

 **1 year earlier**

 **Seidoukan Academy, Hikaru's house, Training Room**

Hikaru and Arashi stood opposite each other in the middle of Hikaru's training room, each of them standing in their respective stances.

Hikaru held the Narukami in a loose grip, both of his hands crackling with electricity while his hair stood up from the charge in the air. His eyes were gleaming a dangerous blood-red colour, with a shade of blue visible under the red.

The katana was held at his waist level, the blade aimed at the ground. Arashi stood calmly, his Crescent Moon held in both hands, one of the edges aimed at the ground and the other at the air.

Both of them spoke at the same time with grins on their faces.

"I Arashi Kaito/Narukami Hikaru, challenge you, Narukami Hikaru/Arashi Kaito, to a duel!"

The system accepted the duel and a timer started, counting from 5 seconds.

At the last second, both of them leapt at each other, their blades colliding, creating sparks.

"Screw the stupid timer!"

Hikaru suddenly shouted, "Rakurai!" and a bolt of electricity flew at Arashi, who jumped back a few meters, evading the bolt completely.

"Have to try better than that. Dark Feather!"

Sharp feathers made of pure darkness flew at the younger teen.

"Denko Sekka."

A burst of lightning accompanied his words as he suddenly appeared before Arashi, poised to strike. His slash was blocked by the double-bladed scythe and he grunted at the other's strength before jumping back a few meters as he saw the smirk on Arashi's face.

Moments later, the feathers returned and he cursed before swinging his sword at the feathers. An arc of lightning clashed against the feathers, bringing the two attacks to a stalemate. "Rai Genko! **(Lightning Arc)** " He then jumped up after feeling a presence behind him and shot Arashi **,** who was directly below him, a heated glare.

A fist made of darkness collided with his back and sent him flying into a wall.

"Ouch!" He exclaimed as he stood up before swinging his katana again, using Lightning Arc at the incoming feathers.

He rushed at Arashi and swung his sword straight at the Crescent Moon. A blade met his katana and he smirked with excitement.

"Say, why didn't you participate in any of the Festa?"

"Huh?" Arashi asked, standing his ground.

"You are strong. If you wanted to, you could have achieved a Grand Slam or something. Why didn't you fight in the Festa?"

"Who knows?" Arashi replied with a smile, jumping back from a slash that would have destroyed his badge.

"You won't mind if I go on the offensive this time, do you?" His question brought a laugh from the younger teen as he said, "This is a duel, do what you want."

The double-bladed scythe in Arashi's hands was a dangerous and deadly weapon. The style used by the Student Council President was one never seen before and extremely effective in battle. By the end of 5 minutes, Hikaru was sporting many cuts and rips on his uniform and a few cuts on his arms and legs. He was also panting slightly while glaring at his opponent.

Arashi was standing in a relaxed manner, leaning on the Crescent Moon stabbed into the floor. He was relatively less winded compared to his opponent, the only visible damage being a few rips in his uniform jacket from the slashes of the Narukami.

On the sidelines, Claudia, who was in her uniform like the other two, watched with a concerned gaze as the two students locked themselves in a clash again.

Suddenly, Hikaru's sword flew into the air, knocked aside. The Crescent Moon headed towards the badge pinned over the teen's heart before Hikaru smirked and a fist lashed out. The strong punch to the gut made the older teen jump back a few metres and Hikaru then said, "The Crescent Moon… now I remember why it felt that way. Each time the Narukami and the Crescent Moon clashed, there was an odd feeling of nostalgia. The two Orga Lux had clashed before. And they used the same style."

"You felt it too?"

"Yup. And now I have a strategy to beat you. The Infinite Crescendo is your technique. My mother used the same technique on me, except she used a double-naginata. It works with-"

"It works based on the opponent's momentum. You block one end and the other end comes at you with the added momentum of the block. Eventually, the speed is so great that-"

"It can't be blocked. And that is when you go in for the kill. But unfortunately for you, I have the counter for it."

Hikaru suddenly disappeared and appeared behind Arashi, his left leg already moving into a roundhouse kick. The handle of the Crescent Moon blocked the kick. Suddenly, Arashi was blown into a wall at the far end of the room in an explosion of dust and debris.

A burst of dark feathers from the cloud of dust cleared everything and forced Hikaru to move around the field before finally taking the Narukami and cutting all the feathers into pieces.

"Now that hurt like hell!" Came Arashi's voice from the dust cloud, followed by a pair of hands made of darkness.

The black ethereal dragon appeared before the hands and rammed into the two hands making them dissipate.

The double-bladed scythe came flying at him and he spun on his feet, avoiding one blade while parrying the other with Narukami.

A kick to his left side made him widen his eyes as the Narukami was knocked out of his hands and he was thrown to the side, hitting a wall. A large fist slammed him from above into the ground, making him cough as his ribs cracked from the power behind the hit. The familiar feeling of his Prana healing the wound reassured him as his Regenerative powers got to work, slowly healing his wounds. The Narukami appeared in his hands in a small crackle of lightning and he cracked his knuckles as Arashi took the Crescent Moon in his hands again.

"Looks like I have to put a bit more effort." He said to himself as lightning surrounded him and danced in visible arcs.

"Kanmuru." As Arashi ran at him, swinging his scythe covered in dark energy, making the scythe more deadly, a katana moved at inhuman speeds and blocked it.

"What?!"

He continued with the other end and it was blocked again. With a grunt of frustration, he continued his assault, increasing the speed and power behind the strike every time. However, the blue-haired teen blocked each attack with a grin on his face.

"How the hell did you get this fast?!"

With the grin never leaving his face, Hikaru spun around and kicked the scythe up before using the momentum and landing a roundhouse kick on the Rank 1's right shoulder.

A well-placed palm strike to the gut then blasted the teen away a few metres and Hikaru then answered, "Kanmuru. It increases my speed." Electricity was crackling from the teen's right palm, which was stretched out. Arashi grunted as he stood stunned for a second before shrugging it off.

"Then I have to get faster than this speed! That's all!"

"Nope. By controlling the electric pulses in my body, I am increasing my own speed. Right now, we are fighting to beat each other. It basically translates to hostile intentions. I am sending electric impulses directly from my brain to the parts of my body."

"That completely bypasses the nervous system." Claudia commented.

"Correct, Enfield-san. It bypasses the nervous system and is even faster than reflexes. Less than 0.3 seconds."

"Less than 0.3 seconds?"

"To "perceive, understand, respond" is a reflex. The time and the speed with which we accomplish this process is the speed of reflexes. For normal humans, I'd say that is about 0.4-0.5 seconds. For beginner and amateur Genestella and for practitioners of martial arts, generally anyone who keeps their body and mind in good shape, it's 0.3 seconds. For practised Genestella like Page Ones, it is 0.2 seconds. For Genestella of immense power and skill, like I, you, Enfield-san, and some other powerful people, 0.1 second is the lowest and the limit, that too because we can use our Prana to aid our movements and alter our body and mind."

"I can sense a "but" there." Arashi said, slowly understanding where this was going.

"I'm getting to that. For me, I can use my Prana, convert it into lightning directly and also control the electric impulses in my body. With that, I can speed up my movements."

"Subsequently, you can also speed up your reflexes."

"Yup. When I use Kanmuru, the highest speed I can get is 0.01 second but moving at that speed will directly injure me. And 0.05 seconds is the normal speed when I use Kanmuru."

"That means…"

"In the same time that you can land a single attack on me, I can land two attacks on you. In the time it takes for you to defend against one attack, I can land another one."

"Dangerous."

"Useful." Hikaru countered.

"But what about that move you used today?"

"What? This?"

Suddenly, many phantoms of the blue-haired teen appeared as he walked forward.

"I don't know the name or the method or anything. What I know is that it involves Prana. And I copied it from my mother. Since I knew how much Prana she had, I was able to use mine in proportion. However, it involves sounds of a frequency that the human ears cannot hear."

"Then can I name it?"

"Fine. Go ahead. If I don't like it, I won't use it anyways."

"Since you are walking uniformly and it involves sounds, the phantoms can be related to echoes. So… Rhythm Echo."

Hikaru considered it for a moment before saying, "Good. I like it. Anyway, let's continue. This technique is more of an intimidation technique than anything else."

Suddenly, the teen disappeared and appeared behind Arashi, tapping him on the shoulder.

"You shouldn't get distracted."

Arashi jumped forward immediately, twirling around.

Hikaru was standing behind his previous spot and was pointing towards him with a finger.

"Huh?"

"Look behind." Hikaru's voice came from behind him before a palm strike hit him in the back, electrocuting him.

"Itsuzushi."

As Arashi fell to his knees, the Hikaru before him disappeared.

"It was a phantom." Suddenly, his voice turned cold as he asked, "Why are you not fighting seriously?"

"I do not want to."

"Are you underestimating me?"

"No. If I lose control, then I may hurt both you and Enfield-chan."

"Trust me. I won't be hurt. If there's one thing I believe in, it's my power."

Both Arashi and Claudia found it a bit odd for his usage of words but kept their thoughts to themselves.

"And I won't lose to you, Arashi." He skipped the honorifics. "Right now, we are two equals on the battlefield. And for that, please use your full power. I will go all-out as well."

He held the Narukami before him and said, "Obey, Narukami." As the burst of electricity faded, he was clad in the white kimono and hakama and had his hair spiked up, a white aura of lightning covering him, much like the Kanmuru. The black ethereal dragon started to form around him, wrapping around him like a cloak of power.

Arashi then sighed. "Enfield-chan, if you feel any danger, run. Tatsuya, you too. Run away if it becomes too dangerous." With his warning given, he stood up with the Crescent Moon acting as a support and closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, as Prana rose around him, darkness started to accumulate at his back.

As it started to take form, Hikaru observed it with interest. "Wings?"

Black wings, resembling an eagle's, were sprouting from Arashi's shoulders, giving him the appearance of a… "Ah, that is where you got your title from, Fallen Angel-san." Hikaru said and then smiled. Slowly, a black outfit, resembling Hikaru's outfit, just like his black kimono and hakama, appeared around him.

An orb of pure darkness formed in his left palm and he let it expand, covering a spherical area, just touching Claudia, who moved a safe distance from the dark sphere.

"Yami no Sekai." Arashi's voice echoed around the sphere as Hikaru closed his eyes, forgoing them and focusing on Arashi's voice.

 _Where is he? I need to cut off the darkness. I can't see in this darkness properly._

Suddenly, a heavy weight was laid on his katana as the air before him shifted. He swung up on instinct before swinging his sword in a circular arc while shooting arcs of lightning through his blade.

"You can detect me even in this darkness, huh? If you beat me, I won't regret giving the Rank 1 position to you."

"I'm honored, Arashi."

"Say, can I call you by your first name? Since we are friends and all, calling you by your father's-"

"Sure."

"And since you are calling me by my first name anyway, I don't have anything to say about that."

This brought out a surprised shout from Hikaru. "What?!"

"I grew up in the US mostly. So I am accustomed to writing my name like that."

"That's a relief."

A laugh rang out before Arashi's voice came again, "Well, Hikaru, what do you think?"

"Those wings of yours are giving you speed. The air shifted as soon as I swung into that arc. And I couldn't feel you for some distance."

"You are using your lightning to enhance your senses."

"Redirecting is the correct word. I am redirecting the energy from my sight, smell and taste, to my ears and skin."

"You don't need those?"

"I can't see in this pitch-black darkness anyway. The smell, well, Claudia-san's perfume is the only thing I can smell. And as for taste, we are fighting, not eating at a gourmet restaurant."

Chuckles came from both Arashi and Claudia, before Claudia said, "I didn't think you would notice my perfume, Hikaru-kun. And you are calling me by my first name. But please remove the honorifics."

"Hard to ignore when you practically clinged to me all the time when you entered my house. And since I am calling our stupid president over there-" "Hey! I am not stupid!" "-by his name, I think it is fair to give you the same privilege, fair lady. And I will drop the honorifics, fine, Claudia." Hikaru said bluntly, making her pout, though it was unseen by him.

"Oh, woe is me."

Hikaru then said, "Now back to the battle. Blitz Regen **(Lightning Rain)**!"

Suddenly, bright flashes appeared in the sphere as lightning bolts rained down, hitting everything around him.

"Ouch!" Arashi shouted as he was electrocuted by the falling bolts of lightning.

"Sooo Arashi, how does it feel to be electrocuted?"

"Very shocking." He answered, eliciting a giggle and a raised eyebrow from Claudia and Hikaru respectively. "You seriously don't have a better pun than that?"

"Hey!"

"And for that, I will smack you on the head, once at least."

Suddenly, bolts of lightning started to appear randomly in all directions. "Claudia, you may want to take a few steps back." Hikaru suggested.

"Are you trying to hit me by chance or something, Hikaru? Woe is me, to think you underestimated me that much."

As the lightning bolts appeared randomly in random directions for a few more minutes, Hikaru chuckled and said, "Now, I've found you."

Suddenly, the clash of blades echoed in the room as the Narukami met the Crescent Moon in a clash of sparks.

A surprised yell was heard from the Rank 1 of Seidoukan while the Rank 3 cackled. "Joy is me. I've found the idiot that I want to kick around."

Suddenly, a big crash was heard as Hikaru came barrelling out of the sphere of darkness, flying past Claudia and into a wall.

"Hikaru-kun!"

"I'm fine, Claudia." Hikaru stood up and gripped the Narukami in his hands again. _He hit me with those wings. I cannot use my sight. My previous tactic may not work. And he still is not as injured as me. I need to hit the wings strong enough to ground him. Or maybe electrocute him strong enough to force him to land so that he will be grounded. Then I can use my hearing to find him._

"Blitz Regen!"

The rain of lightning occurred again, making Arashi yell again as he was hit by a few bolts.

Suddenly, all the bolts converged to one location. _As I thought, the darkness was messing with my senses. He is to the right of where he was when I estimated his position. His Prana, when turned into darkness, will make my senses dull. That's why I was off by a few feet when I tried to hit him with that last attack. And that's why I was smacked by those wings of his. He can see clearly but I can't even hear clearly or even feel the changes in the wind clearly. However, now… I can feel the wind truly._

Hikaru then smirked as Arashi screamed from being electrocuted before the darkness disappeared and Arashi stood in the middle of the now non-existent sphere.

His clothes were singed and slightly smoking and his hair was spiked up from the charge. The Crescent Moon was sparking from the lightning attack.

 _He used the Orga Lux to partially absorb the attack. However, that last attack used the Narukami's power as a medium and amplifier. There is no way that it could be absorbed fully._

"Hey Arashi, both of us are pretty tired. So why don't we finish this with one final attack?"

"Y-yeah. I agree."

Prana exploded around them before shrouding them in their respective elements.

A lightning dragon surrounded Hikaru as the Kokuryu **(the black ethereal dragon, literally meaning black dragon)** coiled around him before both of the dragons disappeared into the Narukami's blade.

A dark aura surrounded the Crescent Moon and Arashi and both of the blades seemed to extend before the aura merged and became a big scythe.

"This is the Crescent Moon's strongest attack. It's the first time I've used it."

"This is the first time I fought seriously with the intention to win, no matter what. Arashi, no matter what, no matter how this battle ends, I-"

"I had fun too, Hikaru."

Both of them ran at each other, swinging their respective weapons at each other.

The Narukami and the Crescent Moon met in tremendous clash of lightning and darkness. The energy released started to form a bright sphere and exploded as both of the duelists screamed in determination.

" **Reaper**!"

" **Narukami-ryu Ikazuchinotsurugi**!" **(Narukami Style Lightning Blade)**

Both of the attacks clashed against each other.

As an explosion ensued, the sound of a badge shattering was somehow heard by all of them and a voice announced the words desired by all three of them.

" **End of duel. Winner, Tatsuya Narukami Hikaru."**

Claudia sighed in relief as the voice was heard and Hikaru and Arashi both fell to the ground on their backs, their Orga Luxes both flickering before deactivating and sealing themselves. Both of their battle outfits were ripped at various places, the sleeves of their kimono already ripped to pieces.

"Hah… I won, Arashi. Told you that I would win, right?"

"Yeah. Now you deal with the fame and dread of a Rank 1."

"Please spare me the fangirls and everything."

"Even if Claudia-chan is one of your fans?"

"Claudia is fine. She is my friend before a fan. Same with Setsura."

"Heard that, Claudia-chan? He's fine with you."

"Stop that, Arashi-kaichou." Claudia said as she helped both of them up into a sitting position before handing each of them a few bottles of water.

They chugged the water immediately. Claudia looked at a screen that popped up and said with a giggle, "You're famous, Hikaru-kun."

"What do you mean?" He asked as a screen popped up before them all.

"What the hell is this?!"

 **A Stunning Victory! The New Student Takes the Academy by Surprise! Narukami Hikaru the new Rank#1 of Seidoukan Academy as of this moment!**

"How the hell did this spread so far?"

"Look, there is a video as well."

At Claudia's words, Hikaru manipulated the screen and opened the video, before closing it immediately with a frustrated expression.

"I'll sue the announcement system for this." He grumbled.

Arashi and Claudia laughed at Hikaru's expense while he sighed and stood up before helping Arashi up.

"I'll take a leave today."

"Me too." Arashi mirrored Hikaru's sentiments.

"Then, I'll call Setsura-san to take care of Arashi-kaichou while I look after Hikaru-kun~" She said in a sing-song voice.

She didn't need to call her as Setsura herself came rushed into the training room, stalking over to Hikaru and Arashi before jabbing a finger in Arashi's chest.

"Explain. Now."

Hikaru chuckled internally at that scene. _I knew that Setsura-nee liked Arashi. And now that he lost, she is angry._

"Arashi, a piece of advice." Hikaru leaned in and whispered. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Go along with whatever she says."

"Screw you, Hikaru. I'm in this trouble because of you."

"Right. I'll solve this on my own. But you'll follow whatever I tell you."

"Fine."

"Then, you have been saved."

He took Setsura's hand and dragged her away to another corner of the room. Arashi looked at the new Rank 1 with jealousy in his eyes, which was clearly noticed by Claudia.

As they talked about something in low voices and returned to them, Arashi noticed that Setsura was blushing brightly and Hikaru was smirking.

He sent a message to Arashi with hidden gestures. _Don't worry. I smoothed everything over._

Arashi understood his words and asked, _What did you do?_

 _Setsura will make you something for lunch. I told her that you would have treated her if you won the match, But since you lost, you were sad. And thus you regretted not treating her._

 _What?! When did I say something like that?!_

 _Just shut the hell up and go along with it._

 _A-alright. Sorry. Please continue._

 _Good. Now, since you were regretting not being able to take her out on a date-_

 _Wait what?! A date?!_

 _Just shut the hell up! So she is taking some pity on you and will cook something for you tomorrow and help you recover from the ass-kicking that I gave you._

Arashi sighed before glaring at Hikaru. He mouthed something to Hikaru and the latter smirked. _You will kill me? Nope. Don't tell me that you didn't want her cooking for you. I know that you like her. No, don't deny it. It's too obvious to Claudia and me._

Hikaru then went towards the door. "I'll take some rest in my room. There are a few guest rooms if you want to stay here."

He left with a yawn and went to his room, navigating while half-asleep.

 **Flashback end**

"So that's how it is." Hikaru ended with a small smile, his previous bad mood almost disappearing from the pleasant memory.

Suddenly, Arashi smacked him up the head.

"What do you mean I like Setsura?"

"Don't you?" Hikaru asked with a challenging smirk.

Sylvia had a devious smirk as she looked at Arashi and said, "Soooo Onii-chan has a crush on this Setsura person."

"Sylvie! Not you too!"

Hikaru laughed at Arashi's expense as he became flustered at Sylvia's questions.

"Hikaru, how long do you think we will be in here?"

"Don't know. It has been almost two days. And the students haven't eaten any food or gotten any sleep."

"And any attempt to negotiate for the food was in vain."

"Arashi, he wants to show us fear. We can't demand anything. But there is one thing we can do now. Arashi, you have charisma. Sylvie, you too. If you try to reassure the students that nothing will happen to them, then they will be able to at least sleep soundly."

"Good idea."

As the two Student Council Presidents tried to reassure the students, Hikaru glanced at the doors and the windows. _Even if we try to escape, the snipers are a problem. And we can't escape the leader. The situation puts us at a disadvantage._

 **2 hours later**

"Any success, Arashi?"

"Nope." He replied dejectedly.

"These guys are too extreme. And it's almost two days."

 _Even if Arashi tries to negotiate with them, they won't agree. Right now, we are just sacrificial pawns._

The Rank 1 clenched his fist in anger before looking up at the door.

"He's coming."

"Who?"

Arashi's question was answered as a crushing pressure bore down on everyone suddenly.

"The leader of these guys." He answered his own question before the door opened and the leader stepped in.

He sat down in a vacant chair and said in an authoritative voice, "You, Student Council President, you made some demands, correct?"

"And?"

"I will give you a chance to make those demands come true."

His voice made the clever ones alert and suspicious.

"Your Rank 1 will fight in a death match."

The said Rank 1 stiffened at his words before gripping his katana tightly.

"The access to dorms is 1. Food is 5 for 1 day for 100 people. Bedding is 5 for 100 people."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Arashi growled.

With a laugh, the leader said, "You, boy, have to kill my subordinates and then your demands will be accepted."

All of the people stiffened at his words, none more so than Hikaru.

 _He means me. I… I have to kill?_

"If you do not accept, then I will kill _everyone_ , starting with the two girls and the boy you hold so dear. And then I'll kill the girl who is currently in Tokyo."

Hikaru stood up slowly and said, "I have to kill your subordinates? Then what about all the assassins you sent after me? All of them died."

"Those were not as useful as the ones I have here. But… I will grant 4 people access to their dorms to get what they need. And I will remove the snipers. You, boy, will get one phone call."

After a few moments of silence, Hikaru asked, "Arashi, Claudia, Sylvie, can you come with me for some time? I need help."

Arashi nodded slowly and stood up. "Let's go."

 **20 minutes later**

 **Hikaru's house**

"Hikaru-kun, you have a mansion on Seidoukan grounds?"

"My mother asked this as her wish when she won the Phoenix Festa. A part of this unused land. And I had a house built here since I was going to join Seidoukan anyway."

"I see." Sylvia replied absently as she looked around.

"Claudia, Sylvie, in the two rooms in the back, there are some blankets and food. And there are bags too. Take all the food rations and put them in bags along with bottles of water. And take all the blankets there are and put them in a big black box. You will find the box next to the wardrobe where the blankets are. The rations will be in a storage freezer. Claudia, you left a few pairs of your clothes here. You can take them. Also, take a few pairs of clothes for Arashi and me. Sylvie, you can choose what you want. Arashi, come with me."

The two teens went inside towards the training room, leaving the two violet-eyed girls in the living room.

As Arashi and he arrived at the training room, Hikaru punched in a code in the keypad next to the door and a part of the wall split open, revealing a rack with… "Luxes?"

Hikaru took a duffel bag at the right side of the rack and started throwing all the Luxes inside the bag. "Arashi, there is another bag at the left. Put all the Luxes in the bag. Now."

His voice left no place for questions and he did as asked.

2 minutes later, they were finished and headed towards the storage room to help the two girls.

Hikaru placed the two bags containing the Luxes at the side and started helping Claudia with the blankets, while Arashi and Sylvia collected the rations.

In a matter of 15 minutes, they were standing in the living room. All of them held a bag or another.

"We have two pairs of extra clothes each and food which can be distributed to all of the students if properly rationed. And blankets for all of them, if they are willing to share." Arashi said to Hikaru.

"I have all the Luxes with me." Hikaru said. "And I can move the box with the blankets. You guys go on ahead."

He placed his hand on the metal box before slowly stepping back. A thin tendril of electricity connected his palm with the box and he raised his hand up, making the box levitate in the air. "And now, we can go."

 **30 minutes later**

 **Seidoukan Auditorium**

The four students entered the auditorium again, where the same scene greeted them.

"By what you are carrying, you seem to have already made a decision, but I will wait for 10 hours, boy. If you do not give an answer by noon, then I will kill everyone."

The leader's words brought him back to reality as Hikaru passed him while shaking in anger internally and said, "I will contact your stupid lackey."

After the leader left, Hikaru said, "Everyone, we have food and some blankets. They are not much, so you will have to share. They are not as tasty as the cafeteria food but don't worry."

Arashi narrowed his eyes at his words. _Don't worry? What do you mean by that, Hikaru? And those Luxes as well, surely you are not!_

His blue eyes widened in realisation as Hikaru lowered the metal box to the ground and said, "I need some help. There are about 500 large blankets. They will cover about 4 people comfortably. If you can share and stay closely, you can sleep on them instead of on the cold floor. And the food needs to be shared." He took a small blanket and a bar of dark chocolate for himself along with a bottle of water.

He then went towards a wall and leaned on it, away from everyone before taking the bags with the Luxes and laid them on the blanket, examining each one.

"Hikaru, what are you planning?"

"What do you mean, Arashi?" He replied evenly.

"What are you planning? I know that you are hiding something."

"I am not."

"Don't joke with me!" He shouted, losing his cool.

"I am not joking, Arashi."

"Stop, please, Hikaru-kun, Arashi-kaichou." Claudia said, stepping in.

"Stay out of this, Claudia-chan." Arashi snapped.

"Arashi, what I am thinking of doing is my own business."

Sylvia and Claudia stared at the two in concern as they were unconsciously leaking Prana.

"But!"

"Didn't you hear this expression even once in your life, Arashi? I will tell you." Hikaru asked coldly. "Curiosity killed the cat."

His intentions were clear as Hikaru coldly rebuffed them and went back to checking over the Luxes. He picked up one and activated it. In a flash of light, a big scythe came to his hand, looking just like a Grim Reaper's scythe, the blade and handle both colored an ominous black.

He swung it experimentally before deactivating it. He went through the same process with all 25 Luxes and then nodded to himself.

Arashi watched the young teen with concerned eyes before taking things into his hands and coordinating the students and distributing the blankets and food among them.

 **6 hours later**

"Claudia, this may be a stupid question, but are there any famous or important people in here?"

"Hikaru-kun, you are answering that yourself. Right no-"

"Claudia, please. Just answer the question."

"Alright. There are many idols from Queenvail here, including Sylvia-san and the band Rusalka too. Many students from Queenvail are very famous."

"And?"

"Well, there is royalty too."

"Who?"

"Julis-Alexia von Riessfeld."

"Lieseltania. The Crown Princess. Why is she here?"

"She wanted to join."

"And she wanted a fucking tour of the place. Am I correct?" He asked, exasperation clear in his voice.

"Yes. Why did you ask?"

"For no reason."

 _If they want to use anyone as leverages, then these people will be the first._

 **3 hours later**

"The food supplies are finished. And the blankets are not comfortable enough to sleep." Hikaru noted as he leaned against a wall, where most of the students were now awake. _Most of them are deprived of sleep. And they didn't get enough food. And there is only 1 hour left till the deadline._

"Hikaru, don't do what you are planning to do."

"What do you mean, Arashi?"

"You know what I mean."

Hikaru didn't answer and walked towards the door before knocking on it. One of their guards stepped in.

"Tell your leader. I have made my decision. Tell him to bring about 600 people."

"Fine."

He then turned around, locking the door but his words could be heard clearly.

"Tell Master Reaper that the blue-haired brat is ready and will fight 600 people."

Hikaru then walked back to his previous place and picked up his Orga Lux, strapping it to his right wrist. He then picked up 5 generic Luxes and strapped two of them to his left arm and two in his pocket, holding the last one in his hand.

He activated the Lux and the scythe appeared in his hands again. He walked towards the door before a hand on his shoulder stopped and slammed him into the wall.

"Arashi-kaichou!"

"Onii-chan!"

Arashi was glaring at him, his Crescent Moon held in one hand and the other across his neck, holding him in place.

"Why are you doing this?!"

His loud voice gathered the attention of many people in the auditorium.

"I am doing what I want." Hikaru replied coldly.

"Want? Are you kidding me?"

"No."

"Why are you doing this? This is not like you!"

"What is not like me? Killing?"

"You aren't a killer, damn it!"

"Then you didn't know me enough!" Hikaru shouted, unconsciously releasing a burst of Prana, throwing Arashi back by a few feet.

He then took his phone and called Ryu.

"Ryu, this is me. Listen carefully. I want you to prepare that machine. Enough of them to keep Asterisk afloat. I can't say anything about their intentions."

" **Understood, Hikaru-sama. Should I have the house cleaned for you to rest?"**

"Sorry, Ryu. I'm not coming there."

" **Hai? Then…"**

"I'm sorry. Ryu, I am appointing you as the head of Tatsuya Corp. from today. You will have all the authorities I have. The formal documents will be in the vault. My father had them prepared for you. He believed in you. I think you will do a good job."

" **WHAT?! But! Hikaru-sama, you can give the announcement when you return!"**

"I can't return, Ryu." Hikaru said sadly as a sad smile played across his face. "I can't return to that world anymore, not after what I am going to do."

He cut the call even as Ryu was talking. **"Hikaru-sama! What do you me-"**

Hikaru then threw the phone into a bag and walked towards the door, only to be blocked by Arashi.

"Stop."

"No. I cannot."

"There is no returning."

"I won't return. Narukami Hikaru will walk down the path of blood. Don't stop me, Arashi."

"Why?"

"I don't want you, Sylvie, Claudia, Setsura, the people I love, I don't want any of them to get hurt. I will do anything for that."

He then walked past the black-haired teen, who collapsed to his knees, and went out the door.

A few moments later, the screen lit up and the leader, Reaper, appeared on the screen.

"Students and faculty of Seidoukan Academy and Queenvail Girl's Academy, now, see the true nature of a monster that was hidden among you."

Reaper disappeared and Hikaru appeared on the screen, his hand holding the scythe.

"No… no…" Hikaru started running towards the group of people clothed in black uniforms of Void Order, the blade of the scythe creating sparks as it was dragged along the floor.

"NOOOO!" Arashi shouted as the first drop of blood was spilled.

Then everything went red.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Finally! Took so damn long! Had to make a few changes and also didn't have any access to my computer to type.**

 **I think I did a pretty good job on this chapter.**

 **What do you guys think about the duel between Hikaru and Arashi? Should any changes be made?**

 **Please review**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter will be a bit large compared to the other ones. Not much to say, except that it took me more time than I expected. Enough of my ramblings, let's get to the story.**

 **Seidoukan Academy's Rank#0, Raijin**

 **Chapter 4**

 **Descent to Instability**

 **Seidoukan Auditorium**

"NOOOO!"

Arashi's shout was the only thing that broke the silence as Hikaru started the match.

His movements were extremely graceful. Each and every movement of the Raijin took down a few opponents. The ominous scythe in his hands danced dangerously as it took down the opponents of its wielder, not even receiving any resistance. The scythe also started gaining a green colour in a pattern and the structure of the blade became clearer, with a darker black in the middle and a lighter black at the edge of the blade.

The Void Order members started firing bullets at the teen. All of the bullets were stopped by the teen. They levitated in mid air before him and the black blade of the scythe cut through them as they fell to the ground.

Suddenly, a man carrying a large claymore swung the aforementioned sword at Hikaru. The scythe stopped it in its tracks before Hikaru was stabbed in the back by another sword, spilling blood onto the floor.

"Hikaru-kun!" Sylvia and Claudia shouted at the same time as the teen grunted before taking a Lux from his left pocket. The Lux turned into a shotgun and the sound of a gunshot echoed in their ears.

Gore and brain matter fell onto the ground and onto the teen as a gaping hole appeared where the jaw should be and Hikaru kicked the now dead body to the ground before turning around and slashing with the scythe, bisecting the member at the waist.

Hikaru then shot with his gun a few more times, killing 5 people.

His face was set into an emotionless facade, the only emotions on his face displayed in his eyes, rage and remorse.

Hikaru then turned around as one of the members shouted, "MONSTER!"

The proclaimed monster didn't show any reaction, only swinging his scythe and cutting him vertically in half, the two halves of the corpse falling down to the ground.

Many of the students felt lucky that they didn't eat anything, as the scene before them was disturbingly violent.

"He is in one of Seidoukan's underground stadiums." Kyouko recognised the area.

 **Seidoukan Academy**

 **Underground Stadium**

Hikaru stood in the middle of a circle of men, all of them pointing a weapon at him.

His hair and clothes were now caked with fresh blood and his scythe had blood dripping from the blade onto the ground.

His heart was in turmoil as he killed each person.

 _I have to kill them or everyone will die._

Meanwhile, another, darker voice whispered at him.

 _ **Really? Are you not enjoying killing them?**_

 _No, I am not enjoying this. I am-_

 _ **Are you really? Because you don't seem hesitant at all.**_

 _Sh-shut up!_

A gunshot brought him out of his conversation as the bullet grazed his right arm. He returned it with his shotgun, blasting the head apart, spilling blood on himself and a few others.

He then swung his scythe as he descended into another deadly dance of death.

His eyes were a mixture of blue and red as he mercilessly slaughtered each and everyone, ignoring their screams of pain and their cries for help.

 _Close off your heart. Cold, heartless…_

 _ **How do their screams sound? You enjoy them right? You thrive in that? How does the blood taste? The sight of the blood? The corps-**_

 _SHUT UP!_

He slashed before him and a blade of lightning cut through a group of people in a wide arc, all of their lives stolen by him without any single bit of resistance. Their lifeless bodies fell to the ground, cut into pieces by the blades of lightning.

He grit his teeth as the smell of burning flesh reached his nose and shook his head, setting his face back into the emotionless facade.

 _How many did I kill? How much blood is on my hands?_

A bullet lodged itself into his left arm and his eyes widened at the sudden pain. He suppressed the cry of pain and fired the shotgun again, killing his attacker.

He then deactivated the scythe Lux, strapping it to his left arm before shooting the shotgun again and again. Moments later, a sword met the gun, cleaving it in half. The sword drew blood as the tip met his arm as he threw the gun away, jumping back a few metres. He tapped one of the Lux strapped to his left arm and the scythe materialised again. He swung at the gigantic man in a wide arc while pushing his Prana into the blade. Sparks of lightning danced across the blade as it cut straight through the flesh and bone before bisecting him. The teen continued the swing, performing a full circular swing, taking the lives of at least 5 men. He then tapped another Lux and two swords appeared in mid air. He caught them while storing the scythe away.

The two chokuto swords had a blue hilt with black lines and a black blade, with a blue on the blunt sides.

His speed increased drastically as he cut each person at twice his previous speed. The two swords crackled with lightning as he carved through the members of Void Order like a hot knife through butter.

Screams of fear and pain rang in his ears as he cut through them while a maniacal voice was whispering to him in his mind.

 _ **Go on. Kill everyone! Kill! KILL! KILL! DESTROY! KILL! DESTROY!**_

"SHUT UP!" He roared out loud, slashing both of his swords at once while channeling his Prana, releasing sharp dangerous blades of lightning which cut through hordes of the Void Order grunts and he stopped mid-slash as he recognised the opponent before him.

 **Seidoukan Auditorium**

"A CHILD?!" Many of them shouted

"That bastard!" Arashi growled, watching as Hikaru's facade broke for an instant before he steeled himself again.

He looked away as Hikaru closed his own eyes and slashed, stabbing the child in the heart, instantly ending his life and giving the child a painless death.

" **You used a child as a pawn to fight me? Was that supposed to be an obstacle or something?"** Hikaru's voice was emotionless as he killed another person.

Hikaru then stood in a stance unlike the one he used against Arashi in a practice session, holding one chokuto before him horizontally at chest level and the other behind him at waist level.

Electricity started to dance around him and the two swords and he disappeared for a few instants. Seconds later, many mutilated corpses fell to the ground around him, while Hikaru stood in the same spot he was a few moments ago.

"He didn't use that technique when he fought against me." Arashi muttered.

"He was holding back?" Claudia wondered out loud.

"No." Kyouko said, looking at the screen closely. "He is improvising. The techniques he used in the duels are all reserved for just that, duels. They are meant to only stop. These moves, they are meant to kill. Nothing more, nothing less. He won't use these moves in a duel, especially not against you people. He cares about you guys very much."

Hikaru then threw the two chokutos into the air and took the Lux in his right pocket. The activated Lux then brought about two swords, looking like a cross between a katana and a chokuto, with a black blade with a serrated edge and blue blunt sides, with a few holes for balance. He swung the two swords before him and then caught the two falling chokutos in the holes of each blade.

The two chokutos then deactivated and he ran forwards into the group of people, beginning another deadly dance of blades.

The sound of metal cutting flesh and lightning crackling in the air was drowned out by the screams of fear and the cries of help.

A majority of the students were looking away from the screen, flinching every time a scream was heard.

"How is he able to handle that?"

"He is not handling that, President." A new voice spoke. A brown-haired teen with brown eyes and a scar on his left cheek sat next to Arashi. His uniform was mostly the same as Arashi, but he wore a green hoodie underneath the jacket.

"You are…"

"Yabuki Eishirou, same class as Hikaru."

"What did you mean when you said that he's not handling that, Yabuki?"

"He is just closing off his emotions or trying to. He is not trying to deal with the deaths he caused while fighting. He is just focusing on two, maybe three things. His movements, his weapons and the opponents. Be careful of your movements, use your weapons properly, dispose of your opponents quickly."

Yabuki Eishirou's words perfectly described Hikaru at the moment. That was the fact that Arashi realised as he looked at the blue-haired teen on the screen.

 _Just how many did he kill? How many lives did he take? And how many will he continue to take? Just how much more will he sacrifice himself for us?_

Arashi clenched his fist tightly as he watched Hikaru stop for a moment.

"Another child…" Kyouko said with sadness in her voice as she watched Hikaru close his eyes before stabbing the child in the heart.

The light left the young child's eyes and Hikaru disappeared in a burst of lightning, appearing at another end of the stadium where a group of men were firing at him.

All of the bullets bounced off the lightning surrounding him and he swung his two swords repeatedly, creating arcs of lightning.

The arcs of lightning cut through the group of men, spilling blood and guts onto the floor.

Suddenly, all the bullets on the floor started levitating in the air and started flying towards the remaining opponents, killing countless number of opponents, their screams filling the air.

Once the barrage of bullets ended, the number of opponents was relatively low when compared to the number at the beginning.

However, Hikaru stopped once he got a good look at the opponents.

"THAT BASTARD!" Arashi shouted in anger as he looked at the remaining members of Void Order sent to die.

"T-th-they are all…" Sylvia trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.

"Children?"

"He has to kill those children, all of them are around his age." Kyouko finally got out the words from her mouth, watching with a grim look on her face.

 **Seidoukan Underground Stadium 1**

Hikaru looked at all of his remaining opponents. "Children…"

Almost all of them were visibly trembling in fear as they looked at him. They were all holding weapons of various kinds, a gun or a knife or a sword or some other weapon.

Only a few of them kept their composure before him.

"I can see the fear in your eyes. You are scared of me, are you not?" Hikaru asked, his voice hollow and cold.

The eldest of them, a boy of just 15, shouted, "SHUT UP! We are going to kill you, right here! Right now!"

Fear and doubt laced his voice and Hikaru almost hesitated as he took another Lux from his right pocket. The swords he previously used were now hung at his waist, and the chokutos at his back.

The Lux materialised into another chokuto, with a black blade and a red tint on the blunt side with a red and black hilt.

This chokuto looked more dangerous than the previous ones somehow as Hikaru held it in a tight grip.

"I understand your fear. It is natural to fear death."

 **Seidoukan Auditorium**

"Just what the hell is he doing?"

"He is doing what is right." One of the high-school students answered the girl's question.

"What do you mean, Nester?"

Nester Fandorin, the Rank#4 of Seidoukan Academy, answered, "He knows that he cannot just close his eyes and kill them like he did with the other children. There are how many, 50? 100? Look at them. They saw him kill the trained soldiers like they were chop liver. What are these children to him? The moment he saw them, he could have killed them."

"He will kill them anyway, won't he? He is a damn monster!" The former Rank 3, Celeste Ragris, said with indignation.

"Monster, huh?" Nester muttered as he looked at the teen with a slight amount of worry and frustration.

"That monster you are speaking about, he is trying to at least make their deaths painless. He is trying to-"

"Don't bother, Nester." Arashi's voice said calmly and coldly from behind. "There is no need to bother about ignorant fools like her."

"What?! You are supporting that mons-"

"Call him that again and I will break you!" He retorted angrily.

"Hikaru is trying to reassure their fears."

" **I know that you are scared. Don't resist. I will try to make it as painless as possi-"**

 **BANG!** The sound of a gunshot rang in their ears as Hikaru was hit in the right arm by a bullet.

He didn't show any visible reaction.

" **Shut up! You! You killed my father! You killed him right before my eyes! You killed him even when he begged you! He was begging till his last breath to not kill him!"**

The teen didn't even flinch at the accusations. **"Yes. I did."**

" **You did? You murderer! You monster! MONSTER! DIE!"**

Hikaru's eyes showed emotion for the first time after looking at the children and he looked away as another bullet hit him in the leg.

" **I may be a monster. But I have a heart as well. And now, you are suffering because of me. Because of him. I find you to be similar to me in many ways, you see?"** His voice was laced with sadness and remorse. **"You suffered due to** _ **him**_ **, just like me. And that's why, even if you hurt me, I don't hate you. All I feel for you is… pity, because I see myself in you people."**

Another shot echoed but this didn't hit. The sound of the two halves of the bullet was heard clearly as Hikaru stood in the same position. **"Aiming to kill?"**

Hikaru then shifted stances, gripping his sword with both hands while his legs were spread apart. His Prana flared around him before lightning started dancing around the blade.

" **I promise to make this as painless and be as merciful as possible."** He ran his own finger along the blade, drawing blood and the blood ran along the blade from the tip to the hilt and stained his own hands red.

" **I'm sorry."**

With his eyes still open, he ran at the group of children, who were now visibly trembling as he started killing them without hesitation.

Blood spilled onto his face, hair and clothes, dying his white clothes red and staining his vibrant blue hair with fresh and dried blood.

His sword also had blood dripping from the tip as he moved gracefully, appearing almost elegant were it not for the blood on him.

In 3 minutes, he was done and stood in the middle of the carnage he had caused, his chokuto already deactivated, now without any visible weapons.

The only one in the room was himself and he slowly fell to his knees, looking down, his hair shadowing his face. He was visibly shaking for some time as he looked at his own hands, stained with the blood of the scores of people he had killed ruthlessly.

A few moments later, he stood up again, his face set into an emotionless facade. Prana started to surround him before it receded into his body. A moment later, all the blood spilled on his face, hair and body flew away from him, being repelled by the protective covering of Prana surrounding him. The dried blood on his hair and clothes, among other things, made him sigh lightly before he walked away, levitating in the air.

 **Seidoukan Underground Stadium 1**

Hikaru fell to his knees as his feelings overwhelmed him momentarily. His tears threatened to overflow as he shut his eyes tightly while clenching his fists tightly. His nails dug into the skin, drawing blood again. This time, it was his own blood that was drawn.

 _I… killed all of them. How many did I kill? Who did I kill?_

 _ **It doesn't matter whom and how many you killed. You enjoyed it didn't you?**_

 _Enjoyed it?_

 _ **Didn't you enjoy it? You were close to laughing as you cut down and shot each of them…**_

 _NO! I didn't enjoy that! I only did it because I had to!_

 _ **You did it because you WANTED to!**_

 _No! No! NO!_

As he was having his inner conversation, he was shaking uncontrollably. His eyes registered the blood covering him and he almost puked, but stopped himself in time.

 _ **See, you are not even crying… you enjoyed killing them! You enjoyed taking their lives. You enjoyed the fear in their eyes and their screams as you cut them down ruthlessly without any mercy…**_

 _NO! SHUT UP!_

 _ **And you even killed all those children without any hesitation, without any mercy. You truly are a monster. A cold-blooded murderer! A MONSTER!**_

 _SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!_

The teen forced himself to tune the voice out and compose himself, schooling his face back into the emotionless facade and used his Prana to remove the blood spilled on him.

He then took his weapons before looking at the shotgun which was cleaved in half.

"This thing is useless now." He muttered and broke it to pieces, crushing it to bits.

Hikaru then headed towards the door, leaving behind a scene of carnage and disappeared from the view of the camera.

 **Seidoukan Auditorium**

The doors opened and Hikaru stood at the doorway, no sign of the previous carnage except the dried blood on his clothes and hair, his gaze towards the ground.

Arashi met him and stopped him at the door. "Hikaru, are you fine?"

Hikaru didn't answer for a second and then finally said, "Yeah. I am alright. I removed the knives and bullets and other things. The wounds are also closing."

"That's not what I am talking about." Arashi said, his voice containing a small hint of fear and pleading.

Hikaru finally looked up and his eyes were glistening, but also they were somehow hollow and empty, and his voice also sounded broken.

"Yeah, Arashi. I am alright. Don't worry about me." He said with a sad smile and passed him.

Arashi's eyes widened as he turned around and clenched his fist in anger.

 _Damn it! He's changed. He's hollow. Empty. It should have been me! I am the one who asked for the things. Why? Why does he have to suffer? Why am I so powerless? Why? Damn it! Why am I so powerless?! Why am I so weak?! Why does he have to suffer for our sake?! Why does he have to sacrifice himself, hurt himself for our sake?!_

As these thoughts ran through his head, Hikaru announced to the group of hostages.

"I talked with the head guard. We can go to the cafeteria. Don't try to run or they will shoot. Go in an orderly manner and don't attempt _anything_ or they will shoot. You have access only to the cafeteria and the backyard there and we can get bedding for all the people here. Is anyone here ill or has any medication they need to take?"

His voice broke the silence but nobody answered. He turned to a source of a voice that meekly said, "I-I need medication."

He tried to smile and managed a forced feeble smile. "Can you adjust for 1 more day?"

She flinched at his voice before saying, "Y-yes. I have some with me and I can use that for today and tomorrow."

"Good. Do you have it in your dorm room?"

"Um… no. I take it from the nurse's office. They come once a month."

"Did they arrive?"

"Y-yes."

"That is fine. Then I will make sure that you get your medicine by tomorrow. Don't worry."

He then turned to the others and asked, "Anyone else?"

"Tch. Don't behave like you belong with us, you monster." The comment was no more than a whisper but Hikaru turned around all the same.

"Do you have any problem with me being here, Miss Ragris?" He asked calmly, turning to her. _Monster?_

She flinched as he turned towards her, almost expecting him to hit her or worse, kill her.

"How could you?" _Huh? What does she mean?_

"How could you kill all those people? How could you do that and still be that calm? How could you be so heartless?"

"Heartless?"

"You monster! You killed them! You even murdered those children!"

The blue-haired teen stared without any reaction as the woman continued pushing accusations at him and then said, "Are you finished?"

As she was interrupted, Hikaru then turned to Arashi and said, "Arashi, I trust that you three can lead them to the cafeteria."

He walked towards the door.

"Wait. Hikaru, where are you going?"

"Me? I'm going to get a few cans of coffee. I didn't have much sleep so I need some caffeine to work on. I will buy a few for myself before all of them are bought."

"Stop! I am not done with you!"

A blast of wind blades was sent at the unsuspecting teen, hitting his left arm, which was now bare and cutting it up severely.

Another blast of wind hit the already injured arm, damaging it further and he gasped a bit in pain.

"Hikaru-kun!/Hikaru!" Three voices shouted as they ran towards the downed teen before a barrier of electricity appeared between him and them and they stopped as the electricity crackled threateningly.

The barrier disappeared and the teen stood up, the wounds slowly being closed by his powers.

Suddenly, tendrils of electricity surrounded his attacker and levitated her in the air before bringing her before him. Her face could only be described by one word. Fear. Pure fear.

Hikaru said coldly, "You know what it would take for me to kill you right now? Nothing. I just snap my fingers and these tendrils will electrocute you to death. Or I could stab you in the head or neck or heart or another fatal spot or just behead you." Each word of his became increasingly colder. "I could kill you in just a single instant. Without any effort." Somehow, many of the students and teachers were certain that he could and fear gripped their heart.

"The only thing that is stopping me, hell, even I don't know. But I know that a monster wouldn't stop before killing you."

With these words, Hikaru continued his walk towards the doors as the shocked and scared female student was released from the tendrils and fell to the floor, almost on the verge of unconsciousness. Suddenly, he stopped and turned around and everyone became gripped by fear at the sight.

Hikaru's eyes were now a mixture of blood-red and blue and were looking like a predator's eyes eyeing his prey. His hair and clothes, stained with blood, along with his eyes, made him look like a bringer of death and his Prana itself amplified that appearance.

" **If you attack me like that again, I will kill you."**

Some of them passed out from sheer fear as a heavy pressure, more darker and more overbearing than Reaper's, bore down on them, almost like a malicious predator, like a dragon which destroyed everything in its path.

At that moment, Hikaru's form was surrounded by a pitch-black dragon, which coiled around him as he unconsciously released the Narukami's power. The dragon's eyes, which looked just like Hikaru's, glared at the hostages as he spoke.

As he disappeared from the auditorium, the pressure dissipated.

Sylvia and Claudia stared at the doorway where Hikaru stood previously, worry and concern written all over their face, along with a small bit of fear.

Arashi's face had despair, regret and fear written on it as he continuously punched the floor in anger, his head hung down.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Seidoukan Cafeteria**

Hikaru stood before the vending machine and selected the coffee before selecting the quantity.

A few seconds later, the cans of coffee appeared in a cover and he took them before walking towards the line at the counter.

 _Why are they looking at me in fear? I didn't hurt them at all, so why?_

Many students were looking at him in fear and flinching if their gazes met. As he reached the counter, he noticed the lady at the counter flinching and his face scrunched up in confusion.

"Tanaka-san, can you man the next counter? There are more people there."

"Y-yes!" She replied, a bit too quickly.

The second woman stood before him and asked with a kind smile, "What do you want, Narukami-san?"

"I will take the usual, Miyamoto-san. Can you make it with a bit more quantity than usual? Because I think I will need more energy for the upcoming events."

"I will have Enfield-san bring it to your table. Please take a seat."

"Thank you."

"It is I who should be thanking you, Narukami-san."

Hikaru went towards the table in the backyard, one of many and sat at an empty table.

He noticed the flinches as he passed by tables filled with students.

 _Both Seidoukan and Queenvail? And not only the students, but even the faculty._

He sat at the empty table before taking out the Luxes he had used. He inspected each of them for damage before nodding to himself.

"Hikaru-kun, is this seat empty?"

"Go ahead, Sylvie." Hikaru said, not looking up from his work. "Where's Claudia?"

"Claudia-san is coming over. She was helping Onii-chan in directing the students."

"I see."

"Hikaru-kun, here is your mea-" Claudia's voice came from behind but was interrupted by a sudden shriek.

As Hikaru suddenly appeared before her and caught her from falling, another person appeared before him, balancing the tray that he was carrying along with the one Claudia carried.

"Are you alright, Claudia?"

She nodded while Hikaru observed the third person.

Hikaru said, "Thanks, Eishirou."

"You are welcome. But I will accept a can of coffee if you want to treat me."

With a dry laugh, Hikaru said, "You seriously need to make better excuses and requests. Come over, we have space at the table."

"Thanks."

As Hikaru and co. sat at the table, Eishirou said, "You know, the president is pretty mad that you were holding back."

"I wasn't."

"Then?"

"Those techniques were all different. A different style. Different from the Narukami-ryu. This technique, it's the first time I have had to use it consciously."

Hikaru then started eating his lunch. "Hikaru-kun, isn't that spicy?"

"No, Sylvie. It's normal for me."

"Wait!" Eishirou said. "Now that you mention it…" He looked at Sylvia and suddenly whipped out a paper and pen before her.

" , please give me your autograph."

Hikaru sighed internally and continued eating the curry. Suddenly, his eyes saw red and he recoiled. Red blood was dripping from his hands to his plate. He closed his eyes and opened them again, blinking a few times and it disappeared.

 _What was that?_

He continued his meal, quickly finishing it.

As he stood up, he was joined by Eishirou. He subtly nodded and they walked together to a secluded part of the building, in plain sight but out of earshot.

"What about the Kageboshi?"

"Unfortunately, only a few of them are able to fight now."

"I know. They were injured during the initial fighting.

"Hikaru, how are you holding up?"

He received no answer.

"Eishirou, contact the remaining members of the Kageboshi. Tell them to be ready. If needed, they will have to protect the students."

"Understood, Leader."

"And…"

"Yes?"

"Tell them to be prepared for anything."

"Yes." Yabuki Eishirou answered seriously, his previous friendly demeanour already lost.

 _ **Anything?**_

 _Shut up! I didn't want to talk to you!_

 _ **But you can't ignore me. I am yourself. So tell me, how did it feel, the aftermath? Everyone is calling you a monster, right?**_

 _Shut up…_

 _ **Monster… Murderer… Killer…**_

 _SHUT UP!_

"Hikaru-kun?"

He started as a hand was laid on his shoulder and turned around instantly.

"Sylvie…" He said as he spotted the violet-haired girl and she asked, "Are you alright? You seem out of it."

"Sylvia-san! Don't go close to him!" A shrill female voice said angrily and a girl in the Queenvail uniform marched up to them before dragging Sylvia away by her arm.

"Who knows what that monster will do to you?!"

"But!" The violet haired girl turned to where he was standing, only to find him already gone.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

It was the time of dinner

The Raijin of Seidoukan Academy sat on a high branch of a tree, looking up at the night sky. _Why is it that everyone is calling me a monster? It's not like I enjoyed killing those people. And I did this so that everyone could be safe._

He tried to close his eyes and sleep but immediately sat up awake.

 _What was that? That blood, those corpses…_

He looked at his hands, only to see them covered in blood and his eyes widened.

"Monster…" "Murderer…" "Killer…" "Murderer…" "Cold-blooded killer…" "Heartless…"

As these words echoed again and again in his mind, he shook. He shook uncontrollably, all the while whispering, "Stop…" over and over again.

The faces of each and every person he had killed appeared before him, calling him a monster. "Stop it…"

Suddenly, he felt darkness overwhelm him as a sharp pain erupted across the back of his head.

"Why do you sacrifice yourself so much for our sake even when we don't respect it?"

The voice was familiar to him and he muttered the person's name as he felt a pair of arms pick him up. "Arashi… thank you."

As Hikaru fell unconscious, Arashi picked the younger teen up and sighed. "Why are you thanking me? It's us who should be thanking you and still we are rejecting you."

 **1 hour later**

 **Seidoukan Auditorium**

All the students were back in the auditorium, wearing expressions of relief on their face.

Arashi leaned against the wall, arms crossed, making a head count.

 _Good, everyone's here._

He then looked down at the floor.

Claudia was beside him, leaning on the wall and sleeping. Sylvia was also asleep, sleeping in a sitting position. Hikaru was also asleep, his head on Sylvia's lap. All three of them were sleeping soundly, sharing a big blanket taken from the teen's mansion.

"Looks like his nightmares have stopped."

"Yatsuzaki-sensei." Arashi nodded at her. "His nightmares seem to have stopped. But he is occasionally twitching, muttering something or suddenly stiffening up."

"The girl's song did some good at least."

"Sylvie's ability is omnipotence. She can do anything, given the right amount of Prana and the right song. She sung that song mainly to calm him down."

A few moments passed in relative silence and he asked, "Are you not going to sleep, Yatsuzaki-sensei?"

"No."

"Then can you tell me why you care for Hikaru so much?"

"His mother."

"His mother?"

"Always making me feel so guilty. I owed her a favour for saving my life. And she made me promise to look after her son if he entered Seidoukan. And he reminds me so much of her."

"I understand. Then, sensei, can you take over?"

"Sure, sure. Get some sleep, brat."

Arashi quickly fell to the ground, lying on the recently brought beds and fell asleep, exhaustion catching up to him as he drifted off into dreamland.

A few seconds later, Kyouko kicked Hikaru in the gut lightly. "Oi, Narukami, wake up. The idiot's asleep. I know that you were acting."

Hikaru got up, being careful to not wake up either Sylvia or Claudia.

"You didn't have to kick me in the gut, did you, Kyouko-sensei?"

She didn't answer and he stood up with a sigh before leaning against the wall. A look at his eyes revealed that they were filled with remorse and at the same time filled with a feeling of emptiness. Even his posture was different, as if he was carrying a huge burden.

"How are you holding up?"

"Huh?"

"I can see that you are affected by all the lives you took for our sakes today. It's affected you and it's affected you badly."

"Maybe."

"How are you dealing with it?"

"I am not. Eishirou told you right? I was only focusing on taking them down. Not dealing with all the deaths that I caused."

"You… you knew that you were being watched, right?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"I knew that I was being watched. But I made a mistake in the thoughts running through their minds."

"Half, no, most of them are scared of you. Hell, even I was scared by that ruthless efficiency you showed. Deadly grace, elegant movements, no wasted movement."

"Every single move, calculated. Every single breath, used optimally. Every swing, with ruthlessness and efficiency. Every weapon, taking lives." He said in a hollow voice.

"Don't say that in such a tone. It doesn't suit you."

"Doesn't suit me? I don't know what suits me anymore, Kyouko-sensei. Each time I try to get back into that time, the memories come back to me."

"Memories?"

"The blood. The screams. The cries. Their faces. The fear in their eyes. Their expressions. The anger. The hatred. Their calls. Monster. Murderer. Ruthless killer. Cold-blooded murderer. The blood on my weapons and my hair. The pungent smell of blood and corpses. The sight of the corpses. Their voices calling out to me. I just can't get it to stop."

He was trembling slightly as he talked.

"I don't know what I can do to help you, Narukami. I've never felt what you did. But… all I can say is, just hold on. You have many good memories, right? Think of them. Hold on to them. Never give up."

"Memories?" He muttered as he looked at the sky, visible through the windows.

As he heard a yawn from beside him, he said, "Kyouko-sensei, you must be tired. You can take some rest. I will take watch. I am not getting much sleep anyway."

"Is it really alright?"

"Yes. I insist."

"Then… thank you, Narukami. Remember, the memories you have, all of those precious memories, hang on to them. No matter what happens, don't sink in darkness."

With those words, she left him alone to his thoughts and he leaned against the wall in deep thought before slowly sliding against the wall, dropping towards the floor.

He looked at the door, frequently letting out bursts of Prana in small quantities to sense everything in the auditorium.

 _Good, no one is trying to leave. Well, I've set traps around the area anyway and ordered the Kageboshi to set up traps around all entrances and exits. If anyone tries to leave, they will be knocked out. It's too extreme but… it's necessary._

He looked at his hands and saw blood again. He bit his lip and tried to make the pain help him focus.

"Memories? Most of the memories I have… they end in darkness." As his hands saw blood again, he grit his teeth. "Those memories I have, I don't want to taint them with this blood. Whenever I try to remember them, I remember the blood. I don't want to taint those happy times. I am scared that I will just lose even that. I don't want to. I don't want to be alone again. I don't want to feel loneliness again."

He looked at the three sleeping figures before him and smiled as his eyes landed on the violet-haired girl, sleeping peacefully.

"I remember meeting with Sylvie. It was in a park, I think."

As he tried to remember the past, he felt sleep slowly take over.

"Leader, I will take over."

"T-thanks, Eishirou."

He fell asleep, leaning on Sylvia and she unconsciously leaned her head on his shoulder.

With a small but sad smile, the brown-haired spy placed a blanket over them.

 **Flashback/Dream**

A young Hikaru was in the park, hanging on a bar, not showing any exhaustion despite the obvious effort he put in.

"The two pairs of wings known as thought and memory, move around move around speedily run around, hold the voice of the captive beloved child, pass the sea of clouds of the dawn, ride on the wind of twilight, open guidance from the edge of dusk, the black servant of thought and memory, come down before me and speedily show me."

He heard a melodious voice singing and became drawn to it, dropping down from the bars and heading towards the source of the voice.

He found a young violet-haired girl with violet eyes on a swing, singing while a light blue glow surrounded her. Meanwhile, a beautiful young woman in her late teens with well defined features, her light blue hair matching her blue eyes as she watched the violet-haired girl.

A small sound made her turn towards the bars, where a boy the same age as the girl dropped down from them without any visible injuries and walked towards the swings.

 _He was able to hear Sylvia's voice? A Genestella?_

As the violet-haired girl stopped singing, the blue glow disappeared and a small clapping sound was heard. The blue-haired boy was clapping gently with admiration in his eyes.

"That was a very good song." He complimented. "I've never seen you around here. Did you move in recently?"

As the young girl was a bit flustered at being heard and caught a little off-guard by his questions, the young woman stepped in and said in a kind and caring voice, "We moved here recently. I am Ursula Svento and that is my student, Sylvia Lyyneheym."

"I'm Hikaru. Narukami Hikaru. Or, Tatsuya Hikaru, you could say. Nice to meet you." Hikaru said with a smile and then said, "So, Ursula-san is teaching Sylvia music?"

"How did you know that, Narukami-san?"

"Hikaru is fine. And about that, well, I hear my mother sing from time to time. When I heard Sylvia's song, she was good, but there were a few mistakes. And since you were watching her, I assumed that you knew her somehow and because you seemed to be concentrating on your hearing, you heard me when I dropped down from the bars and from that, I can tell that you were listening to her song. So, I think I am fairly correct in my assumption that you are teaching her about music. And since both you and her are Genestella and from the Prana that was flowing around her when she was singing, you are training her."

The blue-haired woman had a momentarily shocked expression on her face before it settled back into the same caring smile.

"Pretty good deductions. Pretty impressive for someone your age."

"Thank you, I guess."

A small shifting of the air behind her made her turn around and she spotted a young man with silver hair and yellow eyes running over to them.

"Ryu!"

"Hikaru-sama! I told you to not go out of my sight!"

With a small laugh, Hikaru disappeared and appeared on a swing, startling Sylvia and said, "Your mistake. You let me out of your eyes."

"Now Rin-sama will get angry at me!"

"Your own fault." Hikaru replied, before suddenly floating in the air.

"Huh?"

Ryu's hand was outstretched towards him and Prana was flowing around his arm and around Hikaru.

"Let me down!"

"No."

"Now!"

"No, Hikaru-sama."

Hikaru grumbled and said, "I'll tell Rei-san that it was you who broke her vase."

"No, you will not." He tried to keep a composed voice but there were traces of panic and fear in his voice.

"If you don't want me, just let me down."

As the silver-haired teen didn't do anything, Hikaru sighed. "Fine. Do what you want."

His own Prana started to flow around him and lightning crackled around him. A few moments later, a female voice spoke from his pocket, **"Hikaru?"**

"Rei-san, I know who broke your vase."

" **What?!"**

"It was Ryu! He threatened me so that I wouldn't tell you." His voice contained a fake note of panic, which, to the others, appeared quite real.

" **RYUUUUU! I WILL KILL HIM!"**

"He is in the park!"

" **PERFECT!"**

The call was cut and Hikaru suddenly started to fall towards the ground. As the others gasped, he caught one of the chains supporting the swing and slid down, his hand smoking slightly. Once he reached solid ground, he let go and the chain also started to smoke, the smell of something burning slightly also being felt.

Hikaru looked at the silver-haired teen with a smirk. "Ryu, Rei-san is going to get here any moment. You better run."

Not a moment later, the teen disappeared, leaving a smirking blue-haired boy and two confused females in the park.

"Um, what just happened?" Sylvia asked, still confused as she tilted her head in confusion.

"Well, he knocked down the favorite vase of a friend and she is angry at him. So he is running, but he is just delaying the process."

As the sky started to grow dark, Ursula said, "Sylvia, let's go. It's gett-"

"Wait, Ursula-san. Where do you live?"

"In the nearby apartment."

"How long will it take for you to get there?"

"30 minutes, why?"

"So you live in the same building as us. Well, I think waiting here is better."

"Hmm?"

"It's going to rain in a few moments, 2 minutes, give or take. And there won't be any taxis passing through here now. And the rain will be heavy. So I think we should wait."

"How do you even know?"

He put his hand forward, bringing two fingers together. A small ball of electricity started forming at his fingertips.

"This. I tried concentrating my Prana. And as you can see, there's electricity. But it's higher than normal and since I am tired from playing and the little trick I performed, it should be lower. But due to the charges in the clouds, it's higher."

"What does that mean, Ursula-san?"

"What he means is that a thunderstorm will occur in a few minutes. So we should take cover."

In a few minutes, the three of them were in a cozy looking room with a few couches and an entertainment system.

"What is this place?"

"Welcome to my humble abode, ladies." Hikaru said with a mock bow and said, "Take a seat. We will stay here until the rain stops and it's not going to stop anytime soon."

He went towards one of the doors and returned in a few minutes with a tray and three cups.

"Hot chocolate." He said at the questioning glance of Ursula and took a seat on one of the couches near the windows before pointing his hand towards the controller sitting next to the entertainment system.

A small spark of electricity flew from one of his fingers towards the controller and the speakers flared to life, playing some music.

"This is tasty!"

"Thanks, Sylvia."

"I have to agree with her, Hikaru-san."

"Thanks again."

He then made small talk with Sylvia before saying, "So, you two will be moving back to the US in a few months?"

"Yup."

A sudden strike of thunder gave two different reactions, Hikaru and Ursula were nonchalant and Sylvia was whimpering as she curled up into a ball.

"Now that I think about it, Hikaru-san, won't this place be hit?"

"Nope. Even if it does, it would all be directed to me, since I am constantly using my Prana. And I won't be hurt, because I am lightning-oriented."

"Aren't you two scared?!"

"No." Ursula said in a deadpan voice. "No one in their teens will be scared of lightning."

"But Hikaru-kun isn't scared either!"

"Um, Sylvia, I can control lightning. I think it would be odd if I was scared of it if I could control it." He said with a sweatdrop as his mind created a mental image of a chibi version of himself being scared of lightning and then tried to control his laughter.

When he heard a stifled yawn, Hikaru said, "Sylvia, you can sleep if you want to. I am sure that lightning won't hit you. Besides, you seem pretty tired."

"He's right. Sylvia, take some rest. That is an order as your teacher."

"Fine." Within a few moments, she was asleep and then Ursula said, "Hikaru-san, why did you approach her?"

"Honestly, I felt that her voice was similar to my mother's. Us Genestella, sometimes, we feel lonely. Especially in cases like this. The kids I used to play with, they didn't play after they found out that I am a Genestella. I can see that Sylvia is the same as me in that case. And I knew that you were about to move to the US before talking with Sylvia."

"As I thought, you are her son. I thought that you were related to Rin-san somehow."

"Well, I look like her in many ways. And she talked about you two. So I at least want Sylvia to remember this place with some good memories if she can."

"Good memories?"

"It's never a good thing to have bad memories and regrets when leaving a place."

With a small smile, she said, "You are wise beyond your age."

He nodded before saying, "So, Ursula-san, you have an Orga-Lux, right? It's still sealed. You have it but it is sealed. I won't pry into it but I know one thing from experience. And that is… Orga Luxes can be very dangerous. Please be careful or you will hurt not only yourself, but everyone around you, including Sylvia."

"I know. That is the reason I haven't used it."

As Hikaru nodded and turned back to the window, she noticed one thing.

"That is… an Orga Lux!"

"Yes. I can control it fully. A katana and shield hybrid. And this is why I know about your Orga Lux and how I was able to sense it."

"But how?"

"I can't say that now."

Anymore words she was going to say were interrupted by a phone ringing.

"My mother?"

He answered the call and a holographic screen appeared before him.

"Kaa-chan, don't worry. We are in the house. Rain. And I have Ursula-san and Sylvia with me. We will come home once the rain stops. Don't worry."

As his mother said something to him, he nodded.

"Uh huh… don't worry. I'll tell them."

He cut the call and said, "Ursula-san, my mother wanted to invite both of you over for dinner."

"Dinner?"

"She insists. Meaning that she won't stop until you accept."

"We would be honored."

"That is good."

As time passed, the rain stopped and they finally reached home.

 **Flashback/Dream end**

It was now almost morning and the sun awoke a few of them.

Hikaru was still asleep and was muttering something in his sleep. The violet-haired girl, who was now wide awake, heard his muttering and strained her ears.

"Then, Sylvia, Ursula-san, I'll see you later."

 _Hmm?_

"I enjoyed today, though most of it was spent in the house but I did enjoy talking and playing with you. We'll meet again tomorrow."

 _Ah… I know. He is dreaming about the time he met me and Ursula for the first time._

"I don't want you to get hurt. Even these memories, I don't want to taint them with my sins."

 _W-what is he talking about?_

He started to shake suddenly. "D-don't hurt her!"

"Hikaru-kun?" She tried to wake him up.

"NO!" He shouted, still in his sleep. His breathing increased and he started to hyperventilate, while his shout woke up both Arashi and Claudia, along with Eishirou, who was only now starting to fall asleep.

A few moments later, a sharp pain awoke him and he jolted awake, sitting up straight.

"Hikaru, calm down. What happened?" Arashi's voice brought him back to his senses.

"N-nothing. Just a nightmare. Don't worry."

With these words, Hikaru sat against the wall.

"Eishirou, take some rest. You did good."

"Thanks, Leader."

Hikaru then said, "It's still dawn. Arashi, once the students are awake, find out how many need medication. No matter how small it is, just find out who and how many and of what. Note down the medicine, quantity and the name. Sylvie, Claudia, you too. Help Arashi. Ask the teachers too. If someone offers help, mostly the Page Ones and the Disciplinary Committee, tell them what I told. Once everything is done, give the lists to me."

"Uh huh."

"Fine."

"Alright."

As the three of them went to fulfill the task, Hikaru took his Luxes and checked each of them.

 _All the weapons I used yesterday, apart from the shotgun, are working. I don't need to do maintenance on them. But I may have to discard some of them. However,_ that _weapon is still with me._

After a long time, he stood up and made his way over to Nestor Fandorin.

"Nestor-senpai, I need some help."

"Yeah?"

Nestor grimaced internally as a few younger students flinched when Hikaru walked over to them and glared at them.

"I need you to create a few carts. For holding medicines. And I need you to use your powers to create a suitable environment to preserve the medicines."

"Alright. I can do that. Why do you need that anyway?"

"I will secure medication for the students. Since most of them need to be stored in cold areas, I need you to use your ability to create storages, preferably with wheels or something for easy movement."

"How will you get the medication? We are not allowe-"

Suddenly, his eyes widened and a small gasp escaped his lips as he said, "No!"

"Nestor, please. I can't back down here. Many of the students need my help."

"I don't understand, Hikaru. Why do you still want to help them when they are scared of you?!"

"Because I have a duty to."

"Duty?!"

Hikaru slowly removed Nestor's hands from his collar and said, "Nestor, I will ask you a question. It applies perfectly to this situation. I want you to answer honestly. Can you?"

"I will try my best."

"Then, listen carefully. If you cannot answer, ask others this question."

"Alright. Let's hear it."

"If there is an evil that cannot be beaten by justice, will you stay steadfast to your justice even if it means giving in to evil? Or will you commit evil to defeat the greater evil?"

As Nestor opened his mouth to answer, Hikaru said, "Think carefully. Ask the other Page Ones also. Anyone who is someone. I want to hear their answers. Do that for me."

With those words, Hikaru walked towards the door.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Seidoukan Auditorium Entrance**

The door to the entrance opened and Hikaru stepped out, the door still open.

"Hey brat! Get back inside."

"Shut up! You're annoying me."

A single gunshot rang out and the guard who spoke to him fell to the ground, blood leaking out from the hole in his forehead.

"I am going to my house."

A few guns were trained on him and he sighed in annoyance. A handgun materialised in his hand and he shot a few more times, corpses falling to the ground after each shot.

"I killed 6 more, huh?"

Without looking back, he went towards his mansion.

Meanwhile, the students and teachers inside the auditorium witnesses his actions and shuddered in fear before he disappeared.

"Just why did you do that?" Arashi spoke, more to himself than anyone else as he watched the teen disappear from view.

About an hour later, Hikaru reappeared, carrying a metal cart with him. Many of the students flinched as he pulled something out of the cart.

"Toono Mozuhi-san, here. I think that his was the medicine that you were looking for."

He threw a small box at her, which she caught after fumbling a bit.

"I don't know about the others, so, Arashi, I'm leaving this to you. I think I have a stock of most of the medication they need but there may be something that isn't. And there are some things for first-aid. Well, you understand so I'm leaving it to you. If there is anything that is left, have Nestor put it in some ice so that they can be stored."

He then went towards the door before leaning against it, his arms crossed.

 _I killed 6 people. But… I don't feel much remorse. Is it because they weren't children that I killed or because…_

He recoiled instinctively at the implication. _I am getting used to killing? I am becoming a monster?_

He was still in deep thought about his feelings before he heard Arashi's voice. "The first-aid supplies were useful. But there are some medicines that are in another box but we couldn't open it. It requires a-"

"A PIN. Those are not for the others. Those are mine."

"Yours?"

"Sleep. I can't sleep properly some times. And a few others when I use my powers excessively."

"Sleep? But you slept properly yesterday…"

One look at the teen's appearance made Arashi doubt himself and he asked heatedly, "What did you do?"

"I am not telling you."

"You will."

"No."

"Why?"

"I pretended that I was asleep. And the twitches, they were involuntary, I didn't sleep for 3 days and those memories started to come back to me and I couldn't stop them at times. And as for how I fell asleep in the morning, I forced myself to sleep. Some rewiring of circuits in your brain and you can sleep. But it's only temporary. I mainly went there so that I could get these things."

A punch landed on his gut and his eyes widened in shock.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"What would you have done, Arashi?" Hikaru replied back, his voice cold and calm. "You can't do anything. There are things that you can't change, no matter how hard you try."

A pressure suddenly appeared over them. Most of them seemed affected. Hikaru and Arashi felt it the most, the black haired teen finding it hard to breathe.

"Annoying!" Hikaru exclaimed before flaring his own Prana.

Suddenly, the pressure disappeared and a quiet aura filled the whole auditorium.

Prana was being radiated by Hikaru and filling the room with a mystical glow and a quiet atmosphere filled the place.

"Arashi, go and sit." Hikaru said in a calm but panicked voice.

As he followed without question, Hikaru nodded and turned towards the doors, just in time as they opened and Reaper stepped in, flanked by two cloaked individuals.

"Your guards seem to be weak." Hikaru commented nonchalantly and said, "I killed 6 and I went to my house once. So, that makes it 5 extras. Now, what is the price of medication and medical supplies?"

"You! How dare you call us weak!" One of the guards said in a clearly male voice, moving to attack him. No one stopped him as he moved to punch the teen.

In an instant, the man was on the ground and the teen was on on him, two hands gripping the neck tightly, suffocating him while the man struggled to break free.

Just as his attacker was about to fall unconscious, the teen released him and kicked him into a wall, producing cracks.

"I asked, what is the cost for medication and medical supplies?" His voice was now cold.

"Impressive. To be able to hold off my Prana and presence for this long without even flinching, truly impressive."

" . ?"

"1 for 1 person. And supplies will cost 10 for 100." The leader replied back, visibly amused.

"1 for 1 and 1 for 10?"

 _If what I counted was correct, the number of people who need some medication is 589, because what I had, it won't last long. So 589 for medication. And medical supplies, it's better to have enough for all. As there are 2000, I should make it enough for all. And with my own supplies, I'd say that the amount required would be 211._

"I've decided. 800. In 1 hour."

With those words, he took his own Lux from his right arm and said, "Oh and remember, I figured out your identity, Reaper."

With a hidden smirk, he prepared for the fight, taking a few Luxes out and laying them out before trying each one of them.

After a few minutes of deep thought, he picked up a few weapons.

"This should do."

The scythe, pair of chokutos and the single sword from before were strapped to his left arm, while the Narukami and the unused Lux from before were strapped to his right arm.

"Now there's only waiting."

"No."

Another voice spoke.

"Why are you stopping me, Sylvia?" She flinched at the usage of her name over her nickname while Hikaru stood up.

"It is the right thing, Hikaru."

"Arashi, not you too."

"Why?"

"You cannot understand."

"I can." He said in a low voice. "I killed people too. I can understand how you feel."

"You weren't conscious when you did. You blacked out, Arashi. When you awoke, what you saw were corpses, Arashi. Corpses. You didn't consciously kill them. There's a difference."

"What are you even talking about?"

"Did you hear them screaming in fear? Pain? Crying for help? Did you see as their eyes lost the light and became empty? Did you see their lifeless orbs?" His voice slowly rose in magnitude until everyone in the auditorium could hear his words.

"Did you?! You didn't have to! I had to! I had to hear their screams, their cries, their voices calling me a monster! I had to spill their blood with my own hands! Cut them down without any hesitation! Do you ever know what it feels like?! The sounds of their screams and cries! The pungent smell of blood and corpses! Each time I look at my hands, I can see the blood covering them. Each time I try to even eat my meal or drink some water, I see only blood and corpses! And what else?! I had to kill children! They were all harmless to me! Couldn't hurt me even if they tried! And guess what! They didn't even try to resist! They resigned their lives! They _let_ me kill them! And I did!"

His eyes were almost bloodshot and his words were not calm but angry.

"I'm not finished! Why did I kill them?! Because I am a cold-blooded psychopath?! It was because he threatened that he would kill you! All of you! You think I could let him even hurt you?! And I killed them! For your goddamn sakes! So that you wouldn't starve! I tried to at least return _some_ semblance of a normal life to you! And what do I get in return?! Nothing! Only the goddamn nightmares which don't stop! Those voices of the dead which whisper to me and scream at me! And what about you? The number of people that feel grateful to me, I can count them on my hands. You, Claudia, Sylvia, Kyouko-sensei, Eishirou, mostly the Page Ones, a few faculty and some students I know. A few students are grateful for the help That's all! The rest of you, you call me a monster! A murderer! You try to live your life, ignoring the danger you are in! Ignoring the sacrifice that I had to make! You despise the sacrifice I made! You laugh in joy the moment you feel some comfort! You laugh in ignorance! Those laughs sound like scorn and disdain to me right now! Those calls of monster and murderer! I had to become a monster and murderer for your sake! So that you could live! And you idiots attacked me! Insulted me! That is why I made a choice! If the world rejects me, then I will reject the world! I don't care about what you think of me! A monster! Killer! Cold-blooded murderer! Think what you want!"

"W-we think of you as a friend!"

"Ask the majority what they think! I am telling this to them. I will ask a question. If there exists an evil that cannot be defeated by evil, then what will you do? Will you cling steadfast to your justice, even if it means giving in to evil? Or will you commit evil to destroy the greater evil? Answer me! We have all the time. Split into two groups. It's even better. Justice on the right side. And the lesser evil on the other side."

When no one moved, he shouted, "NOW!"

A few minutes later, Hikaru stood in the middle and the auditorium was split into two groups. The left had noticeably less people than the right.

"Well, here is my answer and my opinion. Pertaining to this situation, I will tell you what each answer means. Justice, don't kill anyone. The end result, _all_ the students are DEAD and these guys win! The lesser evil, kill a few and then kill yourselves! End result, all the students are dead even then!"

"Then what is the correct answer?!" Arashi almost shouted.

"The answer that is correct, logically, and the path that I have chosen, is the third answer. The greater evil. Become the greater evil that destroys evil itself. The absolute evil."

A sinister smirk was on his face and he said, "One can only destroy something that one cannot change. I cannot change them. So I can only destroy them."

"There is no going back, Hikaru. Stop it now. You can come ba-"

"There is no returning, Arashi. You know whom I killed?"

"Those guys are-"

"They were all humans. Normal humans." Hikaru said, greatly shocking the others. "And the punishment for killing a human, in self-defense, is lifetime imprisonment. What about me? I killed 600 and I will kill a lot more. And I know that the bastard is broadcasting the video of me killing them on the world's channels, so that everyone will see me. What happens when he does that?"

"You are viewed as dangerous." Nestor was the one who answered his question.

"Correction, I am viewed as a homicidal, dangerous, mass-murdering, cold-blooded, monstrous psychopath. And you think it can go back to normal? They don't know of the circumstances surrounding why I had to kill."

"If we explain it to them, then they will surely understand!" Sylvia said but was rebuffed by Hikaru coldly. "Understand? Explain? More than half of the fools for whose sakes I condemned myself to this shit, they view me as a monster and a killer. And what makes you think that they will explain the circumstances to them? And I don't believe that the Stjarnagarm will accept the students as witnesses. Even if they do, the IEF won't accept it. I will have an arrest warrant, or worse, a kill-on-sight order, on me. The only safe place for me will be Seidoukan. I won't be allowed to attend the academy itself. Probably house arrest. I will just spend the whole day, and whole years, locked in my own home, not able to go out. And they won't stop at that. They _will_ send assassins after me. I will have to kill all of them and leave no traces. Basically, a life filled with killing and blood. You think I want a life like that?"

"What will you do then?"

"I will disappear. Until his innocence is proven, Narukami Hikaru will disappear."

"Disappear? What are you talking about, Hikaru? You can't just-"

"Even if I am seen as a monster by everyone I care about, even if all the experiences I have will be despair-ridden and tragic, I will do all the dirty work, change this situation and make sure that something like this won't happen again, once I am finished, then… I can disappear."

A punch to his gut made him widen his eyes in shock as he looked at his assailant.

"Did everything mean so little to you?" Arashi asked in barely concealed anger.

"All the time we spent together, the two years you spent in Seidoukan, the time you spent in your home, your friends from Tokyo, everyone that cares about you, the things in Asterisk that you considered precious, did they all mean so little to you?"

Hikaru didn't answer before suddenly, he pushed Arashi back and then executed a leg sweep, making him fall on the floor.

"Did they all mean so little to me?" He repeated. "I care about them very much. Probably will. That is why I won't let them be tainted by my sins. After all, I… I can't return to this world until I destroy this group."

"You can't return? You're not sad at all?"

"No."

"Then why are you crying?"

True to Arashi's words, tears ran down Hikaru's face as he spoke.

"Crying? Who knows. I am not exactly stable, with all that happened in the last few days." His voice was extremely low and almost close to breaking.

With those words, Hikaru walked towards the door, slamming it shut behind him, leaving many shocked people behind.

Meanwhile, Hikaru walked towards the underground stadium, a broken expression on his face and activated the scythe Lux.

"Concentrate. Focus." He spoke to himself. "I can't back down now." As he held the scythe in his hand, it started to shake.

"Huh?" The screaming that haunted him intensified as he walked towards the stadium.

"SHUT UP!" He shouted out loud as the voices did not stop, holding his head as he fell to his knees.

 _ **You are feeling it now, huh? The voices, they don't stop. They will...**_ The voice in his head trailed off as he held his head tightly while lightning danced around his kneeling form.

Suddenly, his hand moved on its own and broke a finger on the other hand, making him wince from the pain. The voices seemed to stop and he stopped trembling, shakily standing up. His steps were heavy and slow as he opened the doors of the stadium, where a similar scene to yesterday was seen. Many men and women, wearing the black uniform of Void Order, carrying various weapons.

"You have children here today too, huh? It won't matter. Not anymore."

A laugh echoed as one of the men exclaimed in glee, "Huh?! We have to kill this kid?! Those previous guys were failures!"

Hikaru laughed at that. He laughed darkly, his insane laughter echoing around the closed walls of the stadium.

"I will leave none of you alive. So just die already!" Hikaru shouted in an insane voice with a scary grin on his face and a trembling hand holding the scythe, which glowed an ominous black and green on the blade.

"Let's begin the dance… the Dance of Death!"

The massacre began as the young teen, who ran forward at blinding speeds while bullets flew and screams rang out. But the most shocking and clear sound was laughter. The sound of a blue haired teen laughing insanely as he slaughtered everyone mercilessly and remorselessly without any hesitation while their blood spilled on him.

 **Seidoukan Auditorium**

The students and teachers in the auditorium stood shocked as the teen started a new massacre without any hesitation.

"H-he's lau-"

"He's laughing?!" One of the teachers shouted, outraged, as the teen swung his scythe in wide arcs, killing any who stood in his way.

"He's snapped." A calm voice said.

"What do you mean, Yatsuzaki-sensei?"

"After his previous outburst and whatever happened to him on the way to the stadium, he is shaken up. Badly." Kyouko answered Arashi's question calmly but her frown made it clear that she was angry.

"And he realised one thing, he has no choice. He _has_ to kill. He cannot return to this world until his innocence is proven. And I don't think half the cowards in this room have the guts to say it outright that the kid is fighting and killing for their sakes, so that they won't have to starve and won't have to die."

Meanwhile, Hikaru stopped as he killed a few people around him and then said, **"Oi, where are the others?"**

His voice caught their attention, making them stop their conversation briefly.

" **I counted. Each and every person I killed. There were 678. Where are the others? Surely, you've not forgotten our agreement, have you,** _ **Reaper**_ **?"** Hikaru spat the name with venom in his voice.

" **Look around you, Narukami Hikaru."**

" **Huh? There are about 50 in the upper ceiling, just waiting to fire their gatling guns at me. However, that won't work. And the rest? There should be 800. 678, and the 52 above, that makes 730. Where are the remaining 70?"**

" **Look around you. There are women, aren't there? Among the people that you killed?"**

"What does he even mean?" Nestor questioned before realisation crossed his face and his eyes widened in fear and fury.

At the same time, Hikaru sunk to his knees, trembling.

"Nestor, what happened?" A girl next to him asked in concern.

"Th-those women he k-kil-killed were…" He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

" **You made pregnant women fight me? So, the remaining 70, those were unborn babies who were growing inside their mothers' wombs, huh?"**

" **Have you realised it yet?"**

" **What?"**

" **That you are a heartless monster? You aren't even shedding a single tear, even when you took the lives of unborn babies."**

" **Why should I?"**

" **Why should you?"**

" **Why should I? If I don't kill all of them, you will kill all the students. If I hesitate, then the life of an innocent student is on my hands."**

" **Even if you die-"**

" **HAHAHA! Even if I die? It seems that you are mistaken. When you tried to kill me, when I was 9, and my mother stopped you by causing an explosion, one of the ice shards hit me. Pierced me. Right through the heart and went through the other end. And still, I survived."**

" **You don't expect me to believe that, do you?"**

" **I don't expect anything, just accept it as it comes. And the truth is something you should learn to accept. If you want to kill me, you will have to behead me, pulverize my heart and brain and then burn my corpse to ashes and scatter them. Hell, even if you do that, I will remain. I will haunt you until you die."**

" **Enough! This farce has gone on long enough! Kill him. Collapse the stadium!"**

" **Yes, Master Reaper!"** Many voices echoed and the sound of gatling guns firing at the teen was drowned out by loud explosions which shook the ground.

"Hikaru/Hikaru-kun!" A few students exclaimed in fear and shock.

There wasn't any sound apart from the sound of falling debris and shifting dust.

"No! He can't die!" Sylvia shouted, falling to her knees as tears ran from her eyes and down her cheeks.

Suddenly, the ground started to shake again and an insane laughter started to echo from the screen as a deadly burst of Prana exploded while the mana in the air started to thin. A killing intent greater than anything they felt bore down on them, forcing many of them unconscious and the conscious ones to their knees. Some of them vomited as they saw visions of their own deaths in different ways while some of them fainted outright from the frightening visions. Claudia was relatively unaffected by the visions while Arashi was shaking a bit.

The laughter continued as the debris started to shift slowly along with the dust and smoke. Suddenly, the rocks were blown away as another explosion occurred and a roar was heard before a beast made of lightning jumped out of the rubble.

It looked like very humanoid, and had cloth-like armor covering its body and a scary mask on its face. **(A/N: Imagine Susanoo but scaled down to about a height of 20 feet.)**

Inside the beast, at where its heart would be, was Hikaru, his hand covering part of his face and laughing insanely.

" **HAHAHA! YOU THINK I WOULD BE KILLED BY A STUPID EXPLOSION?!"**

His voice was a bit distorted and the lightning surrounding him crackled with each word, as if reflecting his emotions.

Suddenly, a scythe appeared in its hands while Hikaru held his scythe in his hands. **"You know… the Narukami, the Blade of the Black Dragon, it chose me as its wielder and will obey only my command. It's assimilated to me. This beast is made out of the Narukami's power. The only thing that can stop it is another Orga Lux stronger than the Narukami itself."**

Suddenly, six people appeared before the intimidating beast of lightning and started to fire many attacks at it, ranging from fireballs to landslides.

All the attacks bounced off the beast's cloth-like armor and the scythe in its hands slashed at the people, cutting them in half.

" **That level of attack won't stop me. And it won't stop your fate. Your fate of getting killed by my hands."**

His voice was cold and at the same time, sounding crazy and unstable.

Suddenly, a wave of ice hit the beast, pushing it back.

One of Reaper's executives, wearing a black cloak, stood before Hikaru, and his hand was outstretched towards Hikaru while mana flowed around him.

" **Interesting… to push back this lightning beast. Let's see who is stronger!"**

Suddenly, sharp rocks hit him in the back, pushing him forward, into a big hammer made of ice.

" **Ouch… that really hurt!"** At the same time, Hikaru swung his scythe at the ice-user and then swung around, firing a bolt of electricity at the rock-user.

"He's fighting them off without any effort…" Arashi muttered.

"Those guys are strong. That is something I can say without doubt." Kyouko said and watched as Hikaru activated his chokuto Lux and the scythe dissipated into lightning before forming into the two chokutos.

The beast mirrored Hikaru's stance before suddenly, Hikaru was launched forward out of the humanoid beast.

A hammer made of ice hit him square in the back, smashing him into the ground. He gasped in pain and looked forward, where Reaper stood, a hand outstretched towards him.

" **Place him under the gas."**

" **Yes, Master Reaper."**

Suddenly, smoke surrounded Hikaru, obscuring him from view. The audience watched with bated breaths. Suddenly, ear splitting screams started echoing from the smoke, making most of them widen their eyes in fear.

Arashi dashed towards the door, kicking it open and ran towards the now-collapsed stadium, the Crescent Moon appearing in his hands.

He arrived at the collapsed stadium in record time, running straight into the smoke.

 **Seidoukan** **Underground Stadium 1**

Hikaru laid on the ground, clutching at his head tightly while his ability went out of control, lightning dancing wildly around him.

He screamed as excruciating pain ran through him while the voices which haunted him started once again, louder and more intense. The smell of blood grew until it became pungent, almost making him vomit.

"ARGHHHH!" He screamed in pain as his voice became hoarse from his continuous screaming.

He vaguely registered someone kneeling beside him and trying to calm him down.

The voices and the pain didn't stop and he tried to stop his screaming, trying to stand up. Eventually, his two swords became a support for him and he gritted his teeth at the pain.

"W-wh-what did you do to me?" He muttered weakly, even speaking was difficult and excruciatingly painful.

A dark laugh came from the cover of the slowly dispersing smoke before Reaper's voice echoed in his ears.

"That gas is a stimulant. You won't sleep and you have become hypersensitive. It's effects will diminish slowly but _everything_ will cause you pain. Pain you have never experienced. And it will amplify any disease you have. That includes… insanity as well."

"What are you saying?!" A voice shouted beside him. His ears rang as the sound echoed and caused him pain again, making him release another scream.

"Now, you, boy, will go through 5 sleepless days of excruciating pain and insanity. If you survive, boy, I will listen to another one of your demands."

The words of Reaper were lost on the blue-haired teen as he tried to focus through the pain that ran through his body. However, he failed as the pain intensified with every little breeze that hit his skin and every breath that was taken.

Before long, he passed out from the pain but suddenly, he awoke again.

 _W-what is this? I can't sleep but the pain is not stopping!_

His mind tried to form another coherent thought but he found it hard to focus.

He barely registered the fact that someone was carrying him with his arm across their shoulder while his feet were dragged against the ground while pain ran through his body.

After what felt like an eternity of pain, he felt his body being laid down on something soft. The smell of perfume assaulted his nose but the smell of blood was still present and more overbearing than ever.

"What should we do?" He heard a female voice speak worriedly. He squirmed in pain as each voice rang in his ears and made him let out another pained gasp or scream.

 **Seidoukan Auditorium**

A few students were gathered around Hikaru's form, most noticeably Arashi, Sylvia, Claudia and Nestor.

"What happened to him, Arashi?"

"I don't know. That guy said something about a gas or something. He's hypersensitive due to that." Arashi shouted frantically, worry obvious in his voice.

 _It won't stop. The pain won't stop!_ Hikaru screamed internally while trying to get his mind to focus. The voices which haunted him continued screaming louder and louder. _Stop it! I didn't have any choice! I am not a monster! I didn't choose to be a monster!_

" _ **MONSTER!" "MURDERER!" "KILLER!" "COLD-BLOODED!" "HEARTLESS KILLER!" "MERCILESS MURDERER!" "HEARTLESS MONSTER!"**_

 _SHUT UP! I AM NOT A MONSTER!_

Eventually, his thoughts turned to words, making the people around him step back in fear involuntarily.

Eventually, the voices calmed down, receding into his mind but the pain remained.

He tried to use his Prana and shield himself with it, making him glow in a blue light.

"W-water." He spoke hoarsely and a glass was pushed near his mouth and he greedily gulped down the cool water.

He looked around slowly, making out the shapes of the people who surrounded him.

"A-Ar-Arashi, in the cart, to the right, there is a box of syringes. Bring me that box."

"Alright." He said and Hikaru recoiled in pain.

"And if you need to talk, talk slowly. My ears are too sensitive and it hurts."

He saw the black-haired teen disappear after nodding.

Two pairs of hands supported him in sitting up. "Thanks, Nestor, Sylvie."

A few moments later, a box was presented before him.

"I need some help. Inject this into my arm. 3 of them. My hand, forearm and wrist. Simultaneously. I will lower the Prana on the count of 3."

When he lowered his Prana around his left arm, he had to bite his tongue to stop a scream from the sudden pain that ran through his arm and the subsequent one as the needles pierced his arm.

A few moments later, he covered his arm in Prana again.

"Now I see."

"What was it that we injected you with?"

"Morphine. Enough to knock me out normally."

"HUH?!"

"Don't shout!"

"Sorry." They replied, embarrassed.

"Due to my ability, my body metabolism can be increased for a certain period of time if I want to. The normal time for humans to go without any sleep is 3 days."

"After that, they will have micronaps." Claudia added.

"However, that is different for me. If I pushed myself and increased the amount of energy and everything, I can run for 1 week without sleep. That thing you injected me with, it would knock me out immediately for a solid 6 hours at minimum."

"However, it didn't."

"Based on what he said and what happened now, we can summarise two things. The gas is a stimulant. And it also makes me hypersensitive."

"Hypersensitive?" Sylvia asked.

"Extreme sensitivity, Sylvie. Example, I can hear everything that you can't hear. And the sounds next to me are amplified. You shout in my ear and it sounds like a big noise ringing again and again, like the explosion of a bomb, in my ear. And that hurts me. Basically, all my five senses are amplified."

"Narukami, you forgot one thing. It also stimulates your mind and amplifies any disease or something that you may have."

"That's Kyouko-sensei for you, I guess." Hikaru said weakly. "It is a stimulant. It will intensify my brain activity. Normally, that won't be a problem. However, due to recent events and due to the effect of the stimulant, I can't stop certain voices."

"Voices? What do you mean… Nevermind, I got it."

"Thanks, Arashi. However, I think I have a cure."

"Cure?"

"If it fails, it will hurt like hell. If it works, the effects will reduce. To maybe half."

"What is the probability?" Arashi asked seriously.

Hikaru didn't answer and took a knife from his uniform jacket and positioned it at his left arm.

"Ok, here goes nothing."

Him lowering the shield of Prana and stabbing himself occurred almost simultaneously.

A dull blue glow surrounded and he smiled slightly before suddenly screaming.

"Hikaru!" "Hikaru-kun, what happened?!"

Just as suddenly, the blue glow disappeared and he let go of the knife, slumping against the wall.

He was panting for breath and gasped out, "I am fine. Just hurts-Ouch- a lot."

A fist found its way to the top of his head and he cried out in pain. "Ouch. It still hurts, you idiot! Don't go hitting me suddenly!"

"At least you are fine."

"Yeah." Hikaru answered with a smile but it faltered a bit. _Fine? The stupid voices are even louder! They won't stop!_

"But there's a problem. I'm paralysed right now."

"Huh?"

"I can't move. Well, not make any precise movements. Say, how many days has it been since shit hit the fan?"

"Um… this is the 4th day I guess." Arashi answered, surprised by Hikaru's swearing.

"So 3 days remain. That is partially good news."

"3 days? For what?"

"3 days of food. After that, it goes back to starving.

The others' mood dampened considerably and he said, "There is at least one good news."

"What is it, Narukami? I can hardly think that there is any goo-"

"The number has decreased. And the students are not scared and tense anymore. Or they have gotten good at hiding it."

"Number?"

"The number of terrorists. I tried to sense the number of people they had. The number of people I sensed about 1500, excluding the leader and his 12 personal lackeys. I killed 1400 of them."

"Then it should be 100 only!"

"No."

"What?"

"Nestor, remember. Whom did I kill?"

"Ah!" He let out an exclamation.

"That's right. Pregnant woman. I can't sense unborn people. So I sensed who were alive, even children. And that means, they came in with 1500 people, including the children. Don't count the babies. What does that mean? It's not 100, but more than that. About 170. And the leader plus lackeys."

He pulled up a map with his free hand and said, "Here. The locations are these. There are 170 of them along with 13."

"Then if we try and restrain-"

"Don't even try that." Hikaru cut off Sylvia with a cold voice. "These guys. Since I became hypersensitive, I also could control my abilities better and I could briefly manipulate the mana in the air. I sensed the Prana in them. Adults. Genestella. They are trained killers. Can you go up against them? Because there is one fact which cannot be disputed. Capturing someone and restraining them is harder than killing them."

"But-"

"Why do you think there is this order, 'Capture if possible, terminate if necessary' on high-priority targets?"

"A trial."

"I don't know whether I should call you naive or innocent, Sylvie. But I will go with innocent. However, blind innocence will get you killed in Asterisk. A trial. Nope. If it is a person with a unique ability, they will experiment on him. If it is a useless person, then they will execute him. If capture is impossible, then they are killed so that they won't be a threat."

Sylvia looked a bit hurt by his remarks but nodded.

"Even me too, if I was required to restrain all 1400 I had killed, then I would be having some difficulties. I would have to take care in not inflicting fatal injuries. Because my sole objective was to kill them, I could attack without restrictions. But I digress. The price of food is 5 for 100. There are 170 of them. That makes 3400. So, approximately one day. And the rest will be casualties."

"How can you speak so freely that you killed them?"

"I can't. Each time I remember that, it makes me almost retch. Makes me hate myself. Makes me angry at myself. And it makes me disgusted. But there is no choice."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise, Nestor. Even I am shocked that I am able to speak so freely like this about how I killed them."

"Say, Narukami, what's the price of your Orga Lux?"

"Hai?"

"Your Orga Lux. The price for using it. Rin didn't tell me what it is."

"That's the thing, Kyouko-sensei. The price of Narukami is different for each wielder."

"Different? That's the first time I've heard of an Orga Lux like that." Arashi wondered.

"Mine is, in exchange for a temporary power boost-"

"Like that lightning beast armor?!"

"Yes. For a temporary power boost… kill something I hold dear."

His ominous voice made everyone gulp uncertainly.

"Today, to summon that beast, I killed part of my heart, a part of my emotions… frustration."

Suddenly, the door opened while a pressure bore down on them. Reaper stepped in with two of his guards and walked straight towards Hikaru and his group.

Suddenly, Hikaru stood up mechanically.

"What do you want, bastard?"

"You didn't kill all of them, boy."

"I didn't? Of course, you made them kill themselves in order to kill me… so, let me ask you, how much are your guards worth? I know that out of the 52 there, I killed about 32. And you obviously hold your guards in much more position. So, how much are they worth?"

Suddenly, he was struck down and fell to the floor.

"It won't work. So, how much are your guards worth, Reaper? Enough to compensate for some pawns, or are they so useless that they aren't even worth 20 of your pawns? Tell me, I'm dying to know."

The others watched as this scene played out, unnerved by Hikaru's tone.

"Anyway, I am going to kill them. But I want to know, what is the price for killing them."

"You think you can kill my executives, boy? My personal knights?"

"Knights? I don't know what you mean by knights but I can kill them."

Suddenly, a spinning scythe cut off the head of one of the executives and lodged itself deeply into the wall.

"See?" Hikaru said with a sadistic smile. "It's that easy."

Reaper appeared a bit shaken and quickly turned around.

"Hey, what about the other guy?"

The said other guy quickly picked up his fallen comrade's body and head and then glared at the teen. "I will have my vengeance for Edward."

"Sorry but you won't. And tell your boss, if he annoys me too much, I may just kill him. Or worse, reveal his identity."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"Thanks, Sylvie." Hikaru said as he swallowed a mouthful of curry. "And sorry for the trouble."

"No problem. I am free anyways."

Hikaru nodded with a smile as he was being fed by her. "But I do have a question though. How did you move?"

"I used my technique on my own body. The one where I control people's movements. But due to my current state, moving hurts like hell. Since it was an emergency, I did it."

"I see."

He laughed at the expression on her face and said, "You don't understand, do you?"

"Mou… I don't know about your abilities very much!"

"Simple. In the human body, there exist electrical impulses along with chemical impulses in the synapses. And with my ability to control electricity, if used correctly, can be used to control the synapses in the body. So I can theoretically control the movements of a person even if they are unwilling. And I used that method and applied it to my own body."

Sylvia's eyes were swirling and she looked at him with a blank face, making him sigh.

"Seriously?"

"You made it more complicated!"

"Fine."

He concentrated on the mana in the air and said, "Sylvie, jump in the air one time."

Without even knowing it, she jumped. "Huh?!"

"There. I demonstrated it. Now, you should eat too."

"It's alright. I am not hungry anyways."

"Eat, Sylvie. If you don't, I will have to control you and make you eat."

Arashi was watching them while keeping watch on all the students.

 _At least he is calm or appears to be calm now. And Sylvie seems fine too._

"Fufufu… worried about the lovey-dovey couple, Arashi-kaichou?"

"Claudia-chan." Arashi acknowledged her as she sat beside him. "Hikaru said that he is paralysed. But he didn't say anything about his mind. The voices he hears. Their leader said that he would be tormented. But he appears normal to me."

"Perhaps… he was able to heal himself fully." _Or he is hiding it._ Claudia finished the last sentence in her thoughts and observed the subject of their conversation carefully.

"What do you think will happen after 3 days, Arashi-kaichou?"

"First things first, no food." Hikaru's voice came suddenly.

"And the students will start to get uneasy then."

"Hikaru, you understand what needs to be done, right?"

"Right now, I think I understand what needs to be done fully, Arashi. And that is simple. Finish everything within 3 days. There are 170 people remaining. If I can heal within 1 or 2 days, then I can ki-"

"Stop! We aren't talking about tha-"

"Face the truth." Hikaru said bluntly. "You saw the leader's power. And the guy I killed today, that guy was the weakest among Reaper's 12 executives. And there is also the matter of Reaper himself. He is far stronger than us. And we need to keep the executives occupied or take them out of the equation completely. And that leaves the 170."

"Can't it be done peacefully? If we wait for the Stjarnagarm to somehow enter by the harbor block, then they can d-"

"If we wait long enough, a chance will come? Someone will do it for you? That's just self-justification." Hikaru said coldly to Arashi's statement. "I know you don't want me to kill anyone anymore. But I cannot back down now. If I just stand back and watch, nothing will change. Change won't come if you don't make it happen. And I will make it happen."

"Even if you lose yourself?"

"Even then."

"Why?"

"Because I have many memories in this place and I won't let it be destroyed. And for my own revenge. He killed my parents and hurt those I cared about. And I will return everything to him, many times over."

"You will get hurt."

"I am already hurt, Arashi. Mentally, I'm unstable. I can tell. All those voices. They won't stop. Until I have dealt with the deaths I have caused, I can't be calm."  
As the two teens were having a heated but silent conversation, the two girls were talking about something else, not hearing a bit of the other conversation. The two boys continued talking about their own moral beliefs.

"And you are fine with that?"

"I will spend some time in solitude. And you too won't have to deal with the trouble of trying to defend me. And once I come to terms with everything, I will see what I can do then."

"I want you to know one thing."

"Don't do anything stupid, Arashi. If you win in a Festa, don't ask for me to be declared innocent. Even if you do, the IEF will still send assassins after me. Until I prove my innocence on my own, there's nothing that can be done."

Arashi quieted down as there was nothing that he could say to dispute Hikaru's argument and said, "I hope you know what you are doing."

"Me too."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 _ **MONSTER! MERCILESS! MURDERER! KILLER! COLD-BLOODED! KILLER! MONSTER! MURDERER!**_

A blue haired teen was slumped against the wall and was trembling terribly, whispering, "Stop. Shut up." over and over. He closed his eyes and faces appeared in his mind, covered in blood and gore, pointing at him while the voices grew louder and louder.

 _Someone make these voices stop!_

No one could do anything as he held back all of his screams so as to not wake up anyone and screamed internally.

He spent a sleepless night, tormented by the voices he never wanted to hear and the nightmares that he never wanted to see.

In the middle of the night, Sylvia woke up suddenly, only to notice Hikaru trembling in fear.

"Hikaru-kun? Are you alright?"

She crawled over to him and tried to touch him. She recoiled as he was constantly leaking Prana, shocking her.

"What happened, Hikaru-kun?" She tried to touch him again and grit her teeth from the shocks. When she lay a hand on his shoulder, he slowly looked up. Bloodshot and wide eyes looked at her with fear. His voice was hoarse as he whispered, "S-Sylvie…"

She hugged him tightly while he tried to push her away.

"Stay away, Sylvie. I… I am a monst-"

"No! You are not a monster! Don't talk like that!"

"Those voices won't stop! They won't stop screaming at me… no matter how much I try to block them out, they…" He trailed off.

"It's alright. It will be alright."

"No! Every time I close my eyes, I can see them. All the nightmares I never wanted to see. My hands stained with blood. You, Arashi, Claudia, Setsura, everyone I care about, dead. Killed by me! Those voices, calling me a monster… I can't shut them out. No matter how much I try, I can't stop it…"

After a few moments of silence, Sylvia then said in a slow voice, "Hikaru-kun, can you imagine a song? I will sing a song and you try to imagine something you love."

"It's useless, Sylvie. Everytime I close my eyes, only those horrific images appear."

"Just try it once."

In a low voice, she started singing.

"The two pairs of wings known as thought and memory, move around speedily run around…"

Hikaru's eyes widened in recognition as he felt a familiar image form in his head.

"...hold the voice of the captive beloved child, pass the sea of clouds of the dawn…"

A familiar swing appeared in his mind along with the image of a beautiful violet-haired girl singing, her violet eyes appearing to glow in the twilight.

"...ride on the wind of twilight, open guidance from the edge of dusk, the black servant of thought and memory, come down before me and speedily show me."

His eyes relaxed and he stopped trembling as the voices stopped and the horrific images were replaced by the image of Sylvia singing as she sat on a swing at twilight.

His breathing became stable and he spoke slowly, "Thanks, Sylvie."

"So who was it? Whom did you imagine?" She asked excitedly.

With a sleepy voice, he replied, "It was you. You were on a swing, singing, at twilight. You appeared very beautiful in that image." With that, he fell asleep, leaning on her shoulder.

She blushed slightly at the close proximity before recalling his and her own words.

"I told him to picture someone whom he loved. And he pictured… me." Her blush turned brighter as she realised the implication behind his words. "And he called me beautiful too."

She stole glances at the now sleeping teen before sleep overcame her as well.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"Are you alright now, Hikaru-kun?"

"Yeah, Sylvie. I am fine now. I slept peacefully after a long time yesterday."

"That's good." She said with a bright smile.

Hikaru clenched his fist tightly and then stood up. He slid into a stance before doing some shadow sparring.

"Woah… impressive."

Hikaru frowned as he leaned against the wall, seeing no point in sitting again.

"Not my best day but it will do."

"What will do?"

"Sylvie, if anyone asks, tell them that I will return in 30 minutes, 1 hour max."

"Um… alright."

As he walked towards the door, she suddenly called out.

"Hikaru-kun, be careful! And remember, you are not a monster! To me, you are someone I care about!"

"Thanks, Sylvie."

As the purple-haired girl watched him leave with worried eyes, her face scrunched up in confusion as she noted one thing. _Why is his hair beginning to turn white?_

Hikaru walked out while summoning his scythe. As he walked out the door, a few guns were trained on him.

"Don't get in my way."

With a twist of his wrist, six heads fell to the ground and the bodies followed shortly after. "164 left."

In less than 3 minutes, 30 corpses lay on the ground near the auditorium door. Hikaru's scythe was dripping blood from its blade. However, not a single drop of blood was found on the teen's being.

"140."

He suddenly disappeared in a burst of lightning while all the bodies disappeared as a black blur passed by them.

"Damn, he's going all out." The black blur muttered to itself.

Meanwhile, Hikaru was on a rooftop and was standing over 6 corpses, glaring coldly at them.

"120."

He disappeared in another burst of lightning and appeared on another part of the roof. Immediately, bullets started flying at him and he let out a burst of Prana while converting the mana into lightning. His own Prana amplified his technique and all the bullets stopped in the air.

"Die."

All the bullets reversed their direction and flew to where they came from. Screams ensued as he disappeared in another burst of lightning, trusting the bullets to do their job.

A minute later, Hikaru was standing over another corpse, blood dripping from the scythe in his hand.

He threw the scythe up as the sound of gunfire was heard again.

"Idiots."

He slid into a throwing stance and then applied his Prana to the Manadyte of the scythe while manipulating the mana itself.

The scythe crackled with electricity and he threw it towards the gunfire. A blade of lightning formed around the scythe's own blade as it spun.

A few moments later, screams began and were cut off as the scythe cut through their flesh and bone, spilling blood everywhere.

"75."

Hikaru then retrieved his scythe.

 _Heh, I guess I look like a grim reaper now, with a scythe and all._

With a small laugh at the thought and the mental image of him dressing in a black cloak and hood, he continued his attack.

He then jumped towards the middle school building, crashing through one of the windows into a classroom.

"Talk about an entrance." He muttered to himself.

He then ran towards the stairs, looking as if he teleported from one place to another. Lightning danced around him as he jumped up the stairs, going at inhuman speeds towards the roof.

The door and a part of the wall was blasted apart as he slid to a stop before taking out his scythe. The bullets flying at him did little to stop him as they were reflected to their owners while he continued his dash.

A few minutes later, he glared at a beheaded corpse and its head. He then looked at the college building rooftop and started channeling all of his Prana into the scythe. The mana in the air started to turn into lightning and danced around the scythe.

After 10 seconds, he released the scythe towards the rooftop. Silence reigned as the scythe cut through the air. Once it reached the solid stone, it cut through without any resistance without any sound.

Blood spilled into the air and the scythe wielder smirked.

He then turned towards the auditorium as the scythe returned to his hand. One could see a thin metal wire connecting the scythe and the scythe wielder's wristbands.

He jumped down from the roof, crouching without any injuries, while an explosion occurred on the college building rooftop.

With a smirk, he ran towards the auditorium while using Denko Sekka.

 _Using lightning to increase one's metabolism and everything… if only I had this idea during training, then beating Arashi wouldn't have been so hard._

Once he reached the auditorium, he stopped at the doorway, hidden.

A few of the Void Order grunts had walked into the auditorium

They were toting guns and pointing them at a few of the students and teachers.

All of them had Prana surrounding them, mostly like a shield.

"Say, you trigger-happy idiots looking for me?" Hikaru asked from the doorway in a nonchalant tone.

Immediately, the soon-to-be-dead 10 idiots turned around, firing their guns at the doorway. Quite a number of students screamed in fear.

"Seriously? Bullets won't work on me."

Hikaru was standing safely at the door, all of the bullets floating before him.

Suddenly, Hikaru disappeared and reappeared behind the 10 Void Order grunts, his scythe in his hand and blood dripping from it.

Ten heads and headless corpses fell to the ground at the same time as the bullets and Hikaru turned around, swinging his scythe and twirling it before deactivating it, putting the Lux back with a twirl.

Quite a few students looked at him with fear and apprehension. He ignored all the looks and walked back to his usual place while a black blur disappeared with the corpses one by one.

"0. That's all of the grunts left."

"Impressive." A new voice said from the doorway.

Hikaru immediately turned around, his scythe back in his hand and glaring at the figure standing at the doorway.

A blonde woman with gray eyes stood at the doorway and was looking coolly at the blue-haired teen, meeting his glare with cool eyes.

She suddenly appeared beside him.

"You seem to care about that little group of people very much. How about I show you a vision of your hell?"

She touched his forehead for a moment with her hand while she spoke and immediately jumped away as Hikaru swung his scythe, snapping out of his shock.

"Such a dangerous weapon… only a monster will use something like that."

She disappeared as mysteriously as she appeared.

Hikaru suddenly fell to his knees, his scythe falling beside him with a clattering sound before he fell forward, trembling like the night before.

He heard a mixture of voices calling his name before he succumbed to darkness.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Blue-red eyes gazed into violet eyes. The purple eyes were partially shadowed by purple hair and tears welled up in them. Suddenly, a sharp blade appeared out of nothingness and blood spilled everywhere. A scream.

Everything faded to black before another image appeared before him.

Black hair shadowing blue eyes was dyed red while a sad smile was tainted by blood and the blue eyes closed forever. Another desperate scream.

Blonde hair was stained with blood, while vibrant violet eyes, no longer vibrant but dull and lifeless, stared back at him. A pained scream.

Images flashed before him, all dyed red and stained with blood. Screams. His own screams echoed in his ears as each image flashed before him again and again.

Blood.

Screams.

Lifeless eyes.

Silent words.

An apology.

Tears.

Laughter.

Sadness.

Anger.

Hatred.

Despair.

Madness.

Insanity.

Darkness.

Death.

He screamed loudly as his eyes opened. Immediately, a group of people were near him, trying to calm him down.

After a few moments of struggle, he calmed down and looked around him. All the images flashed before him again and overlapped with the faces of the people around him.

He mumbled, "I'm fine. Just need some space. The backlash of Narukami."

Everyone understood and dispersed, leaving him to think.

He trembled as he recalled the nightmare that refused to leave his mind.

 _Just what was that? Everyone died in my arms… everyone died and I couldn't protect them?_

No one except a purple-haired girl noticed his hair turning more white as he trembled. She moved a bit closer to him, almost touching him.

"Sylvie, I need some space."

"A-alright. Sorry, Hikaru-kun."

"No. Sorry. I should be apologising."

He spent a sleepless night as the nightmares haunted him throughout the night. Even if he kept his eyes wide open, the images flashed before him continuously.

He tried to raise a hand to his face but nothing happened. Weakness.

He felt weak. Unable to move. Unable to do anything. Unable to protect them.

Dull, lifeless, empty eyes stared at him. He tried to close his eyes but the cruel reality still didn't disappear.

Their voices asked him, shouted at him. _"Why didn't you save us?" "Why did you let me die?"_

" _Why did I have to die?" "Why did you leave me to die?" "Why did you let us be killed?"_

He clutched his head tightly while his heart started beating faster.

Fear. Despair. Darkness. Death. Blood. Kill.

 _Stop._

He clenched his fist tightly and closed his eyes, trying to take a nap.

"I'll get some water." He heard Sylvia's voice and closed his eyes again.

Suddenly a scream reached his ears, making him open his eyes immediately and stand up.

Sylvia was standing with a sword to her neck, fear clearly visible in her eyes.

A rapier.

At the hilt of the rapier was a hand leading to a familiar face, with blue eyes shadowed by blue hair.

Hikaru almost growled out. "Celeste Ragris."

"What are you doing, Celeste?!" Arashi and Nestor shouted in unison.

"Don't come near me!" She shouted. "Everything was going fine. Everything was going according to plan! And you!" She pointed at Hikaru with her free hand while putting the rapier closer to Sylvia's neck.

"Everything was going according to plan! Then you had to step in! You interfered! You humiliated me! And you killed them! All the people whom I grew up with! All of them! And you killed my father! In cold blood!"

Each accusation made them look at the now shocked teen standing still.

"You are nothing but a monster! What will you do now?! Kill me?! Kill everyone here?!"

"Celeste! What are you saying?! He didn't kill yo-" Arashi tried to say but was interrupted.

"SHUT UP! A monster like him! I can't kill him! This girl! She is stupid! You are stupid! All of you, you care about that monster! If I will be killed anyway, I will at least kill her!"

Meanwhile, Nestor was trying to slowly freeze both of the girls. However, it was too slow as he was concentrating on not alerting any of them.

Hikaru meanwhile was in shock.

"Celeste! Y-you… you were one of them?" Arashi asked, mortified.

"YES! I was a honored member of the great Void Order! I was about to become Master Reaper's knight! And that monster destroyed my chance!"

Hikaru meanwhile was shaking as an image overlapped with Sylvia's form.

Blue-red eyes gazed into violet eyes. The violet eyes were partially shadowed by violet hair and tears welled up in them. Suddenly, a sharp blade appeared out of nowhere and blood spilled everywhere. A scream.

He muttered to himself, "Not again."

He walked towards the pair, while his Prana was unconsciously summoned. The sheer force of his Prana cracked the floor with each step while the mana in the air turned into lightning, surrounding him and his hair stood up straight, as if spiked up.

"Don't move!" The hysterical shouts did little to stop him.

"If you come near me, I will kill this girl!"

He suddenly disappeared, leaving cracks in the floor from the sudden power. He suddenly appeared before the pair and moved at lightning fast speeds, taking both of Celeste's hands and moving them apart. With a twist, he threw her towards the wall.

"Sylvie, go."

She nodded and slowly walked back where Arashi helped her.

Meanwhile, Celeste stood up, glaring at the teen and released a barrage of wind blades at him.

Hikaru summoned his scythe and swung it. A blade of electricity overpowered the wind and crashed straight into her, making her scream as she was electrocuted.

"That's enough, Narukami. Fandorin, freeze her. Except the head." Kyouko ordered.

"Enough?" Hikaru repeated coldly, picking up the rapier that was discarded, rather, the rapier that fell as her hands were damaged by him.

"I won't make the same mistake again." He suddenly threw the rapier. With incredible accuracy and speed, it pierced Celeste Ragris right in the stomach. She screamed in pain as she was pierced by her own weapon. The sheer force behind it stabbed herself and attached her body to the wall in a standing position.

While everyone watched, shocked at the turn of events, Hikaru walked towards her, twirling the scythe before deactivating it.

A gun materialised in his hand as he walked towards her. The temperature in the room seemed to lower considerably as he walked towards her, his eyes becoming cold and almost demonic.

Lightning bolts stabbed her limbs, firmly keeping her in place while making her scream.

He pointed the gun at her and placed the muzzle right at her forehead.

"You are the mole. The one who is responsible for this. All this destruction. And this situation too. Come to think of it, you were the one who called me a monster at the beginning. Tell me, if I am a monster, then what about you? You betrayed everyone, the friends who cared about you, the students who admired you. You betrayed everyone and dragged them into a mess that scarred them."

His words were cold as he spoke. "And you made my life hell. Do you ever know what it feels like to be tortured by your own mind? I can forgive you for all of this. I don't care if you hurt me. That was a mistake. Mistakes can teach you a lesson. And they will also teach you to regret your mistakes. Do you regret this, Celeste Ragris?"

"Yes! I regret this! I apologise! I apologise!"

"It's too late to regret anything. Reality just keeps on moving ahead cruelly. And even if you regret it, it won't change the situation. But what you did just now, that wasn't a mistake."

His voice turned even colder.

"The people I care about, trying to hurt them… that's a sin. And for a sin, there is no forgiveness. Only judgement. The judgement that I am giving you is…"

He slowly pulled the trigger.

"NO! STOP, HIKARU!"

"Death."

BANG!

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Now that is what I call ending the chapter with a bang!**

 **Finally, finished with chapter 4. Far longer than expected. And took more time as well.**

 **Anyway, I guess I portrayed Hikaru's instability well. But I am always welcome for reviews and any changes you want.**

 **Next chapter will be a little late, maybe next week around this time or next Saturday, but no promises.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello guys. Chapter 5 will be long but not as long as Chapter 4. And I would like to thank all my reviewers. Thank you very much! Without any further ado, I present to you, Chapter 5!**

 **Raijin, Rank#0 of Seidoukan**

 **Chapter 5**

 **Revelations**

BANG!

Silence permeated the room as the handgun disappeared, Hikaru deactivating the Lux, and the daggers shattered into tiny particles.

Hikaru asked, "Sylvie, are you okay?"

"She's fine. She's just a bit shaken up that's all."

"That's good."

"Was it necessary? Killing her?"

"I won't make the same mistake twice. Leaving her live would have been a mistake. I believe what I did was necessary."

He walked towards the door while summoning his scythe.

"Wher-"

"To blow off some steam."

However, he didn't need to go far as someone appeared at the door.

Black hair shadowing yellow eyes, lips twisted into a vicious snarl and his hand outstretched.

"Master wants the brat." He spat.

"I'm not coming."

"What did you say?!"

"I said that I am not coming. I'm bored of seeing that stupid mask. Now, since I am pissed off, you'd better leave if you don't want to die."

"You brat! You are going to pay for disrespecting me, the great Frost!"

He pulled out a gun and started firing at him.

A single swipe cut the gun and the man's right arm in half.

"Okay. Now, I'm seriously pissed off!"

"You bastard!" Suddenly, the temperature got lower and lower as ice started to form around him. Spears of ice started to form around the Void Order Executive and were fired at him.

The scythe was now discarded and the blue tinted chokutos appeared in his hands.

He slashed a few times and each slash met empty air. Suddenly, blades of lightning cut through the ice and dissipated.

"Next?"

The same technique was used again and again.

Each time, Hikaru destroyed the spears with a nonchalant expression on his face.

"Hmm… you are the guy who hit me with that big-ass hammer. Let me return that favor!"

With a sinister smirk on his face, Hikaru suddenly disappeared and appeared behind Frost.

"Tag. You're it."

Suddenly, a pack of wolves made of lightning started tearing into him.

"Too loud."

A sphere of lightning surrounded him while Hikaru walked back to the group calmly, the two chokutos in his hands deactivating with a twirl.

The crackling sound of lightning drowned out the screams of the Void Order executive.

When the sphere disappeared, a big puddle of blood was seen on the floor.

"Hmm… didn't think it would be that effective."

He then deactivated the scythe and said to himself, "That leaves 10 executives and Reaper."

With those words, he walked towards the doors.

"Wait." Arashi called out. "Where are you going?"

"Where? To take care of the others."

"Can't you at least wait for some time?" He pleaded. "Everyone is shaken up."

"And?"

"It would be reassu-"

"Reassuring if I stayed here? Arashi, I killed two people right before everyone's eyes. If anything, they would be a bit scared. Reassured, maybe, but scared, yes."

"I'd feel reassured if you stay." Sylvia said quietly, still a tad shaken by the situation.

He looked into her eyes and almost flinched at the tears in her eyes before sighing and nodding. "Fine. I'm hungry. Let's go to the cafeteria."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Cafeteria Courtyard**

Hikaru was sat at the table, a lightning dagger in his hand, spinning it as if it were a pen. In his other hand was a can of coffee.

The others were seated around the table, eating quietly.

"Arashi, I need to talk to you about something after this." Hikaru whispered to the teen next to him.

The black haired student nodded imperceptibly and replied, "Your house."

"Fine."

As Sylvia was about to ask him something, Hikaru suddenly jumped out of his chair, turning around, a magic circle forming behind him, a lance of lightning ready to fire.

Everyone had their Luxes out and activated, ready to fight.

Almost everyone relaxed as they saw a young man, about 18, with red hair and eyes, looking coolly at them. Keyword, almost.

Hikaru stood in an even sharper stance, holding the two chokutos tighter. Another burst of killing intent, this time from Hikaru, was emitted, directed at the teen.

"Another one… the rats are crawling out of their holes, huh?"

Suddenly, flames appeared around the teen and spread out, making everyone jump back by a wide margin.

Immediately, some of them realised one thing.

The teen was in the centre of the courtyard and the flames spread outwards, heading towards the other tables.

"Like hell I will let you!" Nestor and Hikaru shouted. Immediately ice started to form around the flame while Hikaru ran on a platform of ice straight towards the teen.

"Woah! Be careful where you swing those things around. You could hurt someone." The teen said as he dodged a swing from Hikaru's chokuto.

"I am trying to hurt you so I don't give a shit!" Hikaru replied, annoyance clear in his voice.

The ice melted without resistance as they met the flames.

"Damn it!" Nestor shouted in frustration.

A second later, lightning struck the ground around the flames in a circle, clashing against the flames.

"Nestor, create the ice around my lightning in a sphere. No, scratch that. Create two spheres around the lightning sphere, enclosing the area." Hikaru shouted as he swung with the right.

"Make it as thick as possible. And create a vacuum between the two spheres if you can."

He then made a small gesture with his right hand. Arashi understood that gesture and immediately, a shield of darkness appeared between the students and the Void Order terrorist.

"Alright!"

Nestor started to create a sphere, linking the mana around him with his arm, directing it into a sphere, feeding it his Prana.

A thick sphere of ice started to form around the flames and the sphere of lightning and quickly enclosed the two fighting teens.

Inside, the blue-haired teen swung his two chokutos at the red-haired teen. The red-haired teen had summoned a longsword and was parrying Hikaru's blows.

"Enough!"

Hikaru suddenly became covered in lightning. His speed increased drastically as he cut the teen a few times.

"Guh!"

"I shouldn't have held back." Hikaru said, his whole being surrounded by blue-white.

"That is!"

"Kanmuru!" Claudia exclaimed, recognizing the attack.

"Kanmuru will damage my body if used to the extreme. However, because I am a Regenerative, it won't hurt me. But what about you? Can _you_ handle the speed of lightning?"

With a smirk, Hikaru disappeared and reappeared before the teen, who now started swinging his longsword like crazy, trying to keep up with the suddenly powered-up teen.

"0.1 second is your limit, huh? Too bad… I can go faster!"

Suddenly, the teen threw the two chokutos at the man before landing a palm strike at the heart. A burst of electricity shocked the man and Hikaru suddenly appeared above him and drove his foot straight into the man's face.

Another burst of lightning and he appeared below the man, kicking him up into the air. In an instant, Hikaru was above the teen. The younger teen drove an axe kick straight into the pyrokinetic's gut, making him cough out some blood as he crashed to the ground.

Hikaru landed on the ground gently and walked towards the teen.

"Lightning Wolf."  
Another pack of wolves suddenly appeared. And the same scene as the auditorium occurred again and Hikaru walked back to the group.

"Wait. I'll remove th-" Nestor started but was interrupted by Hikaru.

"No need."

He swung his chokuto once and the sphere itself shattered into small particles. The flames flickered out as their conjurer was dead and Hikaru walked back to the group.

The small pieces of ice glittered in the light, making for an overall beautiful scenery, not counting the blood stain.

"Did I mention that you could kick anyone's ass in this school if you fought seriously?" Arashi said, scared slightly at the cold expression on Hikaru's face.

"You didn't, Arashi."

"Man, these guys are strong." Nestor said with a depressed sigh.

"Strong? These guys are all on Page One level. The upper ranks. This guy is 4 or 5. The only reason you couldn't stop him on your own is because your ice has a natural weakness to fire." Hikaru said while deactivating the chokutos.

"I just have to get stronger then."

"That you do."

"Hikaru, you said that all of them are on Page One level, right?" Arashi asked.

"Yeah. Don't even think of fighting them. All of them are at a stronger level than us."

"Stronger than us, not you." Nestor grumbled.

"What are their levels?"

"The weakest of them are at Rank 6 or 5. Those guys are about about 5 in number. There are 3 at Rank 4 to 3 and 4 of them are Rank 2 and 1."

"What about Reaper, their leader?"

"His power… if there was ever a Rank 0, exceeding Rank 1 by a large margin, Reaper would be that guy."

His grim tone made everyone gulp.

"How can we beat him?"

"We can't." His words made everyone widen their eyes.

"However…" He continued. "I can kill him."

"How? And how can we help?"

"I can't say. I don't have enough faith in my abilities and my plan to risk your lives on it."

"Let's hear it anyway." Arashi said.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Not here. There are too many people here. And we also have an eavesdropper."

He threw a dagger at a tree. A moment later, a man in a black cloak jumped down, holding a dagger.

"Leave, now. I've already killed 3 executives. 1 more won't matter to me."

"I didn't come here to fight. I come here with a message."

"A message?"

A holographic screen appeared before the Raijin. Reaper's visage was on the screen, the red eyes looking at him coldly.

"What do you want with me, Reaper? Is forcing me to kill people not enough? Is torturing my mind not enough?!"

" **I have come to make an offer to you, boy."**

"Offer, you say?"

" **A substitution. I will allow another student to fight in your place. A certain student."**

His words made Hikaru glance at the group of close-knit friends behind him and then turn his gaze back to the screen.

" **The purple haired girl…"**

"!"

" **She seems to care a lot about you."**

"What are you implying, _Reaper_?!"

" **If you ask her, I'm sure she'd be willing to take your place."**

"!"

 _He wants to have Sylvie take my place?_

 _He wants me to take Hikaru-kun's place?_

Hikaru was shaking slightly as he considered the offer.

 _I don't want to kill anymore. I just want to stop all of that._

Sylvia was trembling violently at the thought of being forced to kill.

Meanwhile Hikaru looked at his own hands and at his sword which had blood on it.

 _Those voices… the looks they send… those glares, the hatred… monster, killer, murderer… I want everything to stop… it is alright, right?_

Sylvia was trembling as images flashed through her mind. The sight of corpses, the calls of 'monster', 'killer', 'murderer', the blood on her hands…

 _I want to help Hikaru-kun!_ A cold voice calling her a monster made her flinch. _I am scared._

The two sides clashed in her mind as she trembled violently.

" **I will give you 2 hours, boy."**

With these words, both the holographic screen and the executive disappeared.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"What do you think he will do?"

"He is a monster! He enjoys killing people! He enjoys watching them suffer!"

"He won't let Sylvia-san suffer, right?"

These were just a few of the comments being whispered among the students.

The news of Reaper's offer had spread like wildfire and many of the students had started gossipping about it, thinking about Hikaru's answer and next course of action.

Meanwhile, the two people in question were at opposite ends of the auditorium, one at the door and the other at the wall opposite it.

Hikaru was just staring off into space while Sylvia was huddled into a ball, holding her head in her hands as she trembled violently.

 _I want to help Hikaru-kun._ The images of corpses and bloody hands flashed before her, making her widen her eyes and flinch in fear. _I am scared! I don't want to do that! I don't want to kill!_

The two opposing thoughts clashed in her mind as she trembled violently. Arashi tried to comfort her but in vain as she was still trembling no matter what he tried.

Meanwhile, Hikaru was lost in his own thoughts.

 _I don't want to kill anymore. But…_ A frightening image of Sylvia killing people popped up in his mind. _I don't want Sylvie to become like me. I don't want Sylvie to be shunned for my sake. I don't want to make her suffer._

 _ **Come on. You know you want this.**_

A dark voice whispered enticingly in his mind.

 _Want this? I don't want Sylvie to suffer._

 _ **You don't want her to suffer? What about you? Will you just keep sacrificing yourself for their sakes?**_

 _I want to protect them._

 _ **Protect?! They shun you! Call you a monster! A murderer! It's time to make one of them experience it for once!**_

 _No! Shut up! Not Sylvie! She didn't shun me!_

 _ **She didn't?! How can you say?! What is there to say that she didn't talk behind your back?! Didn't shun you behind your back?! Didn't pretend to care for you?!**_

 _SHUT UP! I DON'T KNOW WHO ARE YOU BUT SHUT UP! JUST GET LOST!_

He punched an adjacent wall in his anger, creating a deep crater along with a lot of noise.

His eyes were filled with rage as he thought about his inner conversation.

 _I want to stop killing. However… I want to protect Sylvie._

Hikaru looked up as he saw someone's shadow on him and recognised the pair of violet eyes and the wavy blonde hair.

"Claudia, what is it?"

"Can I sit here?"

Hikaru moved to the side to make space for her and she sat down beside him.

"You will have to pay for that crater you created."

"Fine." He replied, frustrated before turning serious. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"What will you do?"

"I will… *sigh* I'm… still not sure."

"Do you want to accept?"

"I don't know, Claudia." Hikaru said after a sigh. "On one hand, I don't want to kill anymore."

"But you don't want Sylvia-san to suffer."

"Yeah. Sylvie is… she's the first person I could truly call a friend. She means more to me than anything or anyone."

"Hmm… ne, Hikaru-kun, think about your past. Maybe you can get an answer from that."

"My past?"

"Better yet, why don't you talk to someone about it?"

 _Talk, huh?_

He gazed at Sylvia before standing up and starting to walk towards her.

"Thanks, Claudia."

The sound of almost silenced footsteps caught the attention of both Sylvia and Arashi, who were shocked and surprised by his appearance.

"Sylvie, can you accompany me for a minute?"

"What do you want with her, Hikaru?" Arashi asked, unintentionally sounding cold and guarded.

Hikaru's face showed sadness and surprise momentarily at his tone before he replied, "Nothing. I just want to talk to her, Arashi. I won't do anything."

Both of them were interrupted by said girl's timid and small voice.

"It's alright, Onii-chan. Hikaru-kun just wants to talk, right?"

The purple-haired girl stood up and grabbed Hikaru's hand before pulling him slightly. He got out of his surprise and led the way.

 _The closest person to me… Sylvie, I won't hurt you._

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Hikaru and Sylvia were now sitting on a bench under the shade of a tree.

"What did you want to talk about, Hikaru-kun?" Sylvia asked in a timid voice.

"Please, Sylvie… I am not going to hurt you. Or let you be hurt. You don't have to be so scared around me. I am still the Hikaru that you know." _Or I was the Hikaru that you know._ "I won't ever hurt you, Sylvie." He tried to make his tone as reassuring as possible.

She seemed to relax slightly but fear was still visible in her posture.

"Sylvie, can I make a selfish request of you? You are the only one I can ask of this."

"Wh-what is it, Hikaru-kun?"

"I don't want to kill anymore, Sylvie." Her breath hitched. "I don't want to stain my hands with blood anymore."

At his words, Sylvia started panicking and shaking with fear.

An arm wrapped around her shoulder and brought her into an embrace while a hand rubbed her back comfortingly.

"It's alright, Sylvie. I won't hurt you. I will _never_ let you be hurt."

They stayed like that till she stopped shaking and had calmed down.

"Sylvie, I have a lot on my mind ath the moment. My actions, the past… you're the only one I can trust with this. Can you stay and listen to me? Just for a little while?"

She was surprised to say the least at his sudden request and didn't utter a single word in response.

"I don't know what to do anymore. What's right? What's the correct choice? What can I do to protect you? I don't know anymore!"

"What did you want to talk about, Hikaru-kun?" She asked hesitantly, reaching out towards him, trying to calm him.

"My past… the only thing that I never came to terms with. You are the only person I trust enough to reveal that part of my life to, Sylvie. Can you just stay and listen, Sylvie? Please?" He desperately pleaded.

"I will." She said with a voice filled with conviction and said, "If it helps you, Hikaru-kun, I will listen to whatever you have to say. No matter what it is."

His eyes widened momentarily before he closed them as he recalled everything.

"Hikaru-kun?"

"I will start with tou-san."

"Hmm… I thought you would start with your mother."

"Tou-san, Tatsuya Shinichi, was a simple man. He was, from his young age, a very handsome man, my mother said so too. Piercing blue eyes, almost like a cat. They went well with his black hair. He was well-mannered. Kind, caring, strict, friendly, courteous."

"You inherited many qualities from him… is what I would like to say but, you don't seem to have."

"Hey! I can be kind and caring if I want to."

"No. You aren't strict like him at all."

"I inherited the qualities he didn't want me to. He was a talented businessman and negotiator, able to talk his way out of many tough situations without any effort."

"Hmm… that is true for you too, I think."

"Not as good as him. But I inherited his talent for business and hacking too. He also liked cooking. He and mom would often quarrel about who would cook and mom would almost always wreck the kitchen." Both of them laughed at that part.

"But… his cooking was tasty. I always ate seconds and sometimes forced him to cook. His singing was pretty bad though. My mom used to electrocute him everytime he tried to sing. And he had an addiction to games."

"Virtual reality games, right, Hikaru-kun?" Sylvia asked knowingly. "You even made me wait for a long time while you played a game with him!"

"Hahaha… that seems like a long time now. Yeah. He would sometimes lock himself in the game room for hours on end and play games till kaa-san would bust the door down and damage the circuits. I used to laugh about it a lot. He forced me to play along with him once. I think he regretted it. I beat all his records in no time at all."

He laughed a bit at the memory.

"That day was the first and last time I played with dad." His voice had took on a sad tone as he wiped away a few tears. "He was pretty simple. I spent more time with kaa-san than tou-san as he was very busy. However, I felt that he loved me just as much as kaa-san did." This time, he let a few tears fall freely.

"My mother, Narukami Rin, was an orphan. She used to live at a shrine. She was invited as a special transfer student to Seidoukan."

"She was just like you then."

"Well, Arashi talked to me about that. And he gave me permission to use the Narukami since it was mine to begin with."

"Hikaru-kun, your mother, you referred to her as Narukami Rin but you said that she was an orphan."

"The shrine she lived at was dedicated to Narukami-sama, a lightning god. So she got the name Narukami attached to her."

"So you have the name of a god." She commented with a giggle.

"Hardly. But getting back, my mother was what you would call a tsundere, I guess. She met tou-san when she was at the shrine and he came there to pray. Tou-san always used to tease her that she believed much like a tsundere."He continued after a laugh. "She was a bit of a tomboy but she was always kind and caring. She never liked it when someone tried to flirt with her. I still remember when someone tried to flirt with her at a party and she froze him solid. I laughed so hard that day."

"That's funny."

"There are many things I remember kaa-san for. She was very beautiful. It was her hair and eyes that captivated me." He closed his eyes as he tried to remember her. "Her long hair was a beautiful shade of blue I can neither describe nor compare with any other thing. Her eyes were another shade of blue, almost like my own. I used to see small hints of red in her eyes at times, but even then, they were beautiful. She was extremely kind and caring. Very protective of me. She was the one who taught me how to fight. The katana was the main weapon she used. And chokutos as well."

"She was a Genestella, right?"

"A Strega. With the same abilities as mine. However, compared to mine, her power was more…beautiful. Whenever she used her power, I always found her to be a comfortable person. I felt safe with her."

He paused for a brief moment before continuing.

"She had a good sense of style too. But most of her clothes were Japanese though. Her kimonos were always so elegant, I guess. She was always beautiful. Her clothes always contrasted with her pale skin and dark hair. She always looked so fragile, like you wanted to protect her. But she had a strength none of us had. She was always there for me. Whenever I was sad and cried, she comforted me. Her cooking was very tasty too. Honestly, I think I got my chocolate addiction due to her baking cakes and her hot chocolate."

He laughed

"Whenever tou-san and kaa-san quarreled with each other over who would cook, I would sometimes have to break up the fights by forcing one of them to cook dinner and the other to make dessert or something."

"That is… effective." She commented with a small giggle.

"Anyway, my mother was the one who taught me how to fight. Mainly close combat and swords. She was… strict, for the lack of a better word. She didn't even hold back, even once. But that is why I was able to improve myself, I think. She wanted to make me strong and prepared for opponents who outclassed me. And she made me use an Orga Lux at a very young age, when I was 4, I think. She wanted to make me accustomed to the feel of the Narukami."

"That… I don't know what to say about that."

"She knew that I was a fighter. My personality was far too much like hers, always wanting a new challenge, wanting to protect the people I love, wanting to become stronger, pushing myself to the limit, training, learning new techniques… I also trained in secret a few times before kaa-san caught me."

"Naughty boy, going out in secret without telling your parents." She teased with a giggle.

"Yeah yeah… I did many things without my parents knowing. I even ditched them so that I could play with you."

"You didn't play with me as much as I would have liked…" She accused, making him apologetically smile at her.

"Yeah.. In hindsight, that's entirely my fault. I just….wanted to grow stronger. To be able to protect what I love. I threw myself into training. I pushed my limits and then pushed myself even more. I could do it because of my Regenerative powers. Because I could train without getting any injury, without any damage to my body, I was able to train to the fullest."

"Was that even necessary? You were pretty strong for your age."

"No, Sylvie, I needed to grow stronger. I trained where no one would interrupt me."

"That brings me to the question. Where did you even train, Hikaru-kun?! I couldn't find you at all!" She pouted at him, making him laugh slightly.

"I trained in the shrine. Kaa-san used to train in a room under the shrine. She lived in a big house behind the shrine. She had it constructed with the prize money from the Festa. I had the mansion made according to the design of the house behind the shrine. But larger in size."

"A holiday home?" She guessed.

"You could say that. Tou-san was abroad for a business meeting and kaa-san took me there. We had lots of fun there, cleaning the shrine. Kaa-san also dressed up in one of her old kimonos she kept there. That was when I was 4. It was the first time I spent a night there. She was also the first one who taught me about happiness. Happiness is like glass."

"It exists but is unnoticed. But if you change the angle of viewing a little, then it will reflect light more beautifully than any other. You told me that so long ago."

"Also, it is very fragile. I have to protect it and make sure that it is not shattered."

She smiled sadly at his words. "That was also the first time she sang."

"How was her voice?" Sylvia asked gently, recognising the nostalgic tone in his voice.

"It was beautiful. Melodious even. I could feel the emotion in her voice. The caring feelings with which she cared for me, the comfortable warmth I felt when I was close to her. I had a bad nightmare and was sleeping next to her. She hugged me tightly. I felt very comfortable and relaxed. Even her Strega powers were very calm and beautiful when she sang. The ice powers created a beautiful mist and her lightning powers created a beautiful sparkling light. That was the most beautiful scene ever, no, one of the most beautiful scenes ever. She sang the same song once again. And the next moment was when both she and I sang a song. She and I wrote the lyrics together. All those times, there wasn't a single camera. But… I remember those moments more clearly than any photo can ever do."

He was now crying freely with a nostalgic smile on his face. "I remember those moments. The mist and the lights, the smile on my parents' faces, the joy in their eyes, the happiness I felt at that time… those moments are in just another place, untouched by all my sins."

A few moments passed in a comfortable silence as Hikaru wiped his tears before saying, "Kaa-san was always the one who stayed with me at all times. And she was the only person I opened up to. And she was the only person who was able to comfort me when I was scared."

"You really loved her, didn't you?"

"Yeah….Yeah I did." He answered sincerely with a sad voice.

"The last song we sang, I still remember it clearly. It was midnight. My birthday. And it was kaa-san's birthday as well. We sang happily, ate cake, sang again. I didn't sleep that night. When I came back to the living room, it was because I heard a crash. When I entered, the first thing I saw was my parents. Stained with blood. Their blood. I tried to cry out. Run to them. Just do something. Just move. I couldn't. Fear. When I saw him, what I felt was fear. The cold fear that gripped my heart, it was cold. Different from the cold when kaa-san froze me with her power playfully. It was darker, colder, uninviting and scary."

He had his arms wrapped around himself tightly.

"It was like a pair of cold hands gripping my heart tightly. No matter what anyone says, that fear I felt… it was real." His voice was quivering a bit and he was also trembling. "My parents were just at arm's reach away. Had I taken a step forward or something, I could have touched them. But I didn't. I couldn't. I even had the stupid Narukami with me. It was strapped right to my wrist. Just like this!" He showed his right wrist to her, where the pitch-black Orga Lux was strapped.

"If I had just moved, if I had just used my abilities, I could have saved them at least. I could have stalled him. I could have saved them. Ryu was going to come over in just a few minutes. If I had stalled him for at least some time, even if I was hurt, I would have healed! If it was a few minutes, kaa-san would have healed too! She would have healed tou-san as well! Only a few minutes… I couldn't do it. I couldn't do anything."

He was now trembling violently.

"Many people tell me that I'm strong. Page One, Rank 1, Raijin… I trained very hard. I trained to my limits to grow stronger. Even now, I still want to grow stronger. But when strength was needed most, I was weak. I was powerless when I needed power. When I needed to be strong for everyone."

"The pressure that he was exerting, it forced me to my knees. When I collapsed, there was blood. My parents' blood. I remember that clearly. My hands, even my hair and clothes, they were stained with their blood."

"Stop. I know you're hurting, so just stop. That's enough, Hikaru-kun." Sylvia gently said as she saw the fresh tears rolling down his cheeks.

"No, let me finish this. I want to have the courage to do at least that."

He continued, albeit with tears and a quivering voice.

"He turned towards me. Said something about how he didn't have to search for me. Kaa-san tried to stop him. She caused an explosion. I don't know why but I think I saw both of them say only one thing to me, "Hikaru, sorry for not being there for you. Live happily." Can you imagine that?!" His voice was breaking. "Not being there for me? If they had left me to die, they could have lived! I am still alive! I am still alive because of them… because I was too afraid to act, they sacrificed their lives. If they had just thought of themselves… if they had just been selfish that one time! If they had left me for dead that one time!"

He was trembling violently as he spoke and his voice was close to breaking.

He felt a pair of arms wrap around him comfortingly.

"You can cry if you want to, Hikaru-kun." Sylvia spoke gently as he trembled. She looked at him with a sad gaze.

"I'm such an idiot, though." He said, while still crying. "They died to protect me and here I am, thinking that they shouldn't have."

They stayed like that for a few minutes while he cried silently.

"What about your other family?"

"My father's family, well, I didn't like them very much."

At the expression on her face which required him to elaborate, he said, "Whenever I met them, they looked so… fake. Always trying to fool me, always trying to fool tou-san. Tou-san wanted people to work for their earnings. Those people didn't want to. Once Tatsuya Corp. reached a good place, they wanted to cheat him and make some easy money. He didn't budge. He refused always. That is why I hated them. They also hated me and kaa-san. They hated Genestella. Kaa-san used to tell me to not trust them because she too didn't. I didn't trust them at all. Every time they took me somewhere, they tried to hurt me. It became very severe that kaa-san stopped me from even meeting them. Tou-san tried to repair our relations but it wouldn't work."

"They were that bad, huh?"

"Yeah. However, there was another person in that family I liked and respected. Tou-san's elder brother, my uncle. Tatsuya Jin, my oji-san. He was a Genestella as well. Tou-san was kind of a scaredy-cat and was scared of many things. Oji-san used to protect him, from bullies and other things. Tou-san respected and loved him very much. I too respected him. He is the one who taught me how to fight with the scythe and all. Kaa-san taught me how to fight with swords of different types. Oji-san taught me how to fight with scythes, guns and other weapons. Even the scythe I have now and the guns I have, they were his Luxes."

"Your uncle fought in the Phoenix, didn't he?"

"His team was the runner-up. Kaa-san beat him."

"Please continue."

"He used to come over at times. He also had expertise with swords but left that part of training to kaa-san. I always trained with him when I had the chance. But kaa-san used to try and convince me to always use less of the techniques he taught me. I never knew why, at that time. Now I know why. All of those techniques he taught me were used for fatal attacks and killing blows."

"Not intended for normal matches."

"Yeah. He did teach me how to adjust my attack though. Kaa-san was okay with it when I adjusted my attack so that they won't hit any fatal spot. That went fine. And I trained and trained."

"What happened to your uncle?"

"I will get to that in the end. Next was Setsuna-san. Kaa-san saved her life and Setsuna-san made an oath of fealty to her. Setsuna-san and her coming generations would serve my kaa-san and her children and subsequent generations."

"What happened to her?"

"She was ill. I met her once when I was young. At a party hosted by my father. Kaa-san always treated her like a sister. She always wore only white and snow-themed clothes when I met her at formal parties. I also met Setsura-nee at a party."

"Yuki-san?"

"Yeah. She didn't change from that time and now. Kaa-san didn't treat Setsuna-san as a servant but as family. After Setsuna-san, her child, Setsura-nee, will carry on the oath and swear herself to me. She was like an older sister to me."

"That is obvious to us."

"Quiet. Let me finish."

"Alright."

"Both of them were caring and looked out for me in their own ways. And I was thankful for that."

"Now… what happened to your uncle?"

"A year before my parents' death, my father received news from my uncle that their family was dead. All of them. Oji-san said that he was going to search for their killer. He disappeared for a full year after that, not bothering to keep in contact. I never saw him again. Things weren't that bad off after he disappeared though and while I do wonder at times what he's doing now or if he's even still around, it never bothered me altogether that much because...I had my mother and my father, y'know? Even if my uncle had just up and disappeared, I still had my parents who I loved with all my heart and who loved me just as much in turn. The time I spent with them felt like a dream and I always thought those days would last forever but… life's no fairy tale. There was no happily ever after for us.. Just a grisly end and memories of better days long past". Hikaru's sobbing came to an end, his pained expression temporarily replaced by a stoic mask of melancholy and resignation.

He looked at her then smiled that sad, pained little smile he always did when telling her everything would be alright. Sylvia hated it. She hated that smile so much. "Sorry to make you listen to me rant, Sylvie", he said.

In response, she reached forward to embrace him before replying, "Don't be Hikaru-kun. Never be. I'm glad you trust me enough to let me into your heart". After a moment, he wordlessly hugged her back and the two stayed that way for a while, paying no heed to the silence that descended upon them as they enjoyed the warmth of each other's embrace. With great reluctance, Hikaru eventually broke away before smiling a little mirthful smile that set her heartbeat aflutter. He restarted their conversation again by saying,

"It wasn't all doom and gloom though. My life still had its fair share of happiness. I got to meet many new people, made so many memories with my family while they were still around that I'll cherish for the rest of my life… Despite everything that's happened to me so far, I still had a reason to exist, a reason to live. I always did. And that was more than enough for me."

She leaned forward, interested as his tone was noticeably lighter and happier.

"The people I lived with, the Amagiri family were friends of my father. He had stated in his will that if I wanted to, I could stay with them. Or with Ryu. I chose to live with them, don't know why though… maybe my gut feeling."

He nodded then proceeded to explain, "I met the Amagiri family a while back. Honestly, the similarities between our families were almost frightening. Masatsugu-san was just like tou-san, strict but caring. Haruka-nee was kind and caring, but she could be scary if she wanted to. She was, in one word, a tsundere. Ayato was basically, a clone of me, just more enthusiastic. After my parents passed away, I moved in with them."

"Ah!" Sylvia's eyes widened in realisation. "So that's why you rarely came over. You lived very far away."

"I'm sorry about that. I threw myself into training even more. It acted like a distraction, I guess. I focused on training. I set my goal to become stronger. I didn't want to have any nightmares so I trained till I was unconscious. Haruka-nee would always scold me about that."

"I also met a neighbor. Gah… she was annoying as hell though."

She laughed at his words before gesturing for him to continue.

"I eventually left the Amagiri house and came to Asterisk. It was here that I met the people I cherish most. Arashi, Claudia, Nestor, Kyouko-sensei, Setsura-nee… all of them. I was happy during the time I spent here in Asterisk."

"I felt… happy for the year. But the happiest memory was not that. My happiest memory was something that could never be compared to any other."

His tone and words piqued her interest as she leaned in even more, almost face to face.

"What is it?" She asked excitedly, not even aware of the distance between them.

"That was the time a certain beautiful songstress I know, who is, at the moment, so close to me that I can just lean forward and kiss her." He answered with a teasing smirk.

She brightened at his words before realising their closeness and almost jumped away in surprise.

"That was the time I met you, Sylvie. That memory's still as clear as crystal to me. That moment in the park… I can still remember hearing your voice for the very first time. I thought an angel had descended down from the very heavens to sing… a song that resonated with my heart and soul and one I still remember to this day. Of all my memories, that particular one was and still is the most precious to me."

"I wanted to be friends with you. I was a Genestella and people were afraid of me. When I was young, I couldn't control my power. I lashed out at times and almost hurt others. They were scared and avoided me. I didn't have any friends at that time. I think it was excitement perhaps. A childish desire, excitement… I don't know what to call it now. I wanted friends. I wanted someone to be friends with, someone to play with, someone to share memories with. A good friend to be with me through the ups and downs of my life. I wanted companionship. I was scared of being alone. When I heard your song that day, when I saw you, I wanted to be your friend. I was just kinda drawn to you. It just felt _right_. When we met for the very first time, for some reason, I knew that you were the one I had been waiting for all this time. That you'd be everything I ever wanted in a friend."

A blush found its way to her face from his words as he continued..

"Eventually, you too became one of the people I cherish dearly. You were another reason for me to grow stronger. So that I could protect the one I love. So that I could protect you", he finished, then stood up.

"Sylvia, could you go somewhere with me? Just for a little while."

The dark and cloudy sky started to pour on them a rain unlike any other.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Hikaru and Sylvia were now in his mansion and both of them were soaking wet.

"Sylvie, can you take care of these for me? After this is over, the Stjarnagarm will search this mansion. If it is ever destroyed or my things are confiscated, I don't want these things to be touched."

He handed her a bag. As she opened it, she noticed the only electronics in there were a laptop and a phone.

"They have most of the things I care about in there. And some sensitive data as well. They will open only by my voice and now, yours too. The other things are just small keepsakes, things I can't part with."

As she looked at the many photos, she spotted something shining in the corner. As she took it out to examine it, she almost gasped. In the box were a pair of gold rings with a diamond encrusted in each. Next to the rings was a bracelet with a small but beautiful red-black stone. A locket was next, with a photo of three people in it.

"Are you sure, Hikaru-kun? I don't think I ca-"

"I trust you, Sylvie. You're the only person to whom I talked about my past so much."

He then walked towards the door.

"Can you keep that with you? Always"

"I can… but why don't you just keep them with you or find somewhere else to store them?"

He didn't answer but managed a small, sad smile that shattered her heart into pieces.

"Because….with them in your hands, I'll finally have a reason to keep on living. So that I could come for them someday….Above all else, it'd give me a reason to see you again….In this cruel, broken little world we live in, being with you brings me a sense of belonging that I never felt anywhere else, not since the day my parents died…It's all I have left to look forward to. Can you do that for me, Sylvie?"

She could only nod in response, not knowing how to respond to his heartfelt statement and with that, the rest of their journey back descended into silence with not a word being spoken by either of them.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

As the deadline neared, two of Reaper's executives entered the auditorium, both of them leaking copious amounts of Prana and killing intent, scaring the students and teachers immensely.

At the same moment, Hikaru and Sylvia were just around the corner, nearing the auditorium.

"Hikaru!" Nestor's voice came in short and panicked gasps.

Immediately, the Raijin's eyes narrowed and he dashed towards the auditorium with Sylvia following closely behind him. Nestor, who seemed to be searching for them, immediately turned around and ran with them.

"What the hell happened, Nestor?!"

"Two of those executives appeared! They looked sorta insane! Arashi is fighting them!"

With a low growl, Hikaru disappeared in a burst of speed, the familiar glow of Denko Sekka visible around him.

 **XXXXXXXXX**

"What are you doing?! Hikaru isn't here!"

Arashi was clashing blades with the first man and was on the losing side, only barely holding off the executive.

"Get out of my way, brat!"

He was kicked in the gut and coughed out some blood before attacking again.

"Where's the bitch?! Master wants her!"

"What do you want with her!?", Arashi shouted in protest.

"You know EXACTLY what we want from her! I'll have you know Fang there is a bit messed up in the head you see, so if you know what's good for you, you'd hand her over!" The man known as Claw said as he blocked Arashi's attack.

"You bastards!"

At the same time, a burst of lightning hit the floor between Arashi and the executives, making both of them jump back.

Hikaru appeared between the two groups, his eyes almost a crimson red, glaring at the executives.

Suddenly, a screen appeared before the teen, showing Reaper's face, which made Hikaru glare at the masked terrorist before glancing at Sylvia and Nestor, who were still at the entrance to the auditorium.

" **Have you come to a decision, boy?"**

At his words, the blue haired teen recalled a conversation that he had with the people he cherished the most.

 **Flashback**

"Hikaru-kun, what do you think happiness will look like?"

Everyone who heard this question had their interest piqued as Sylvia looked expectantly at Hikaru.

"Happiness?"

"If happiness takes a physical form, what would it look like?"

With a small laugh, Arashi said, "For him, I'd say it would be chocolate."

"Shut up."

"Am I not correct?"

"For you, it would be Setsura accepting your confession then, I guess." Hikaru retorted in a teasing tone with a smirk.

"Huh? What do you mean?" The Student Council President tried to feign ignorance, but the blush on his face gave it away.

"Heh… what's this I'm hearing about, Arashi? You have a crush on Yuki Onna?" Nestor asked, clearly interested.

"W-what?! No!"

"Arashi-kaichou has a secret crush on Setsura-san, which is-"

"Which is not so secret as he believes it is." Hikaru finished for Claudia.

"No! Shut up and mind your own business!"

"Aww… onii-chan is flustered!"

"Sylvie, not you too!"

With a laugh at Arashi's predicament, Hikaru said, "Well Arashi, out of my good will and kindness-" "Kindness and good will, my ass." Arashi muttered. "-I will give you one piece of good news. Setsura likes you too."

The blush on his face intensified and his face turned a bright red.

"So after everything is over, just confess to her."

Arashi's eyes were replaced by swirls from his confusion, making everyone laugh.

"Returning to the original question at hand, I don't think happiness can be given an exact form, but I guess it would be moments like this."

"Didn't expect you to be so sentimental, Ibara."

"For me, it would be an ocean. Deep but not enough."

"Sounds like you." Nestor commented on Feardorcha's answer while Hikaru nodded at that answer. _However, it is deep and can hide many dark things. It can deceive you and also drown you._

"For me, I guess it would be the happy moments I carved into ice so that they can be preserved."

"Nestor, you always were like that. Making ice sculptures." Hikaru commented. "What do you mean?" "Always simple. You know, even if you don't make it big here, I think you can make it big as making ice sculptures for people. I know a lot of people in Tokyo and even my company who would pay a fortune for that." The others laughed at his expense while Nestor said with a huff, "Anyway, returning to the original question, I will give Hikaru's answer."

"Huh?"

"For him, I'd say that it would be digging into a giant chocolate cake and not having to share it with anyone."

Immediately, their minds were filled with a mental image of a chibi Hikaru digging into a big cake with a happy grin on his face, making everyone, including Hikaru, laugh out loud.

Suddenly, a small hammer made of ice smacked Nestor up the head before shattering into small pieces. The small pieces of ice shimmered in the light before their eyes. "Ow!"

"Glass." Hikaru said with a smile.

"What?"

"If happiness takes a physical form, I think it would be glass."

"Why?"

"Happiness is just like glass. It exists, unnoticed by everyone. However, if you change your angle of viewing a little, it will reflect light more beautifully than ever. That is what I believe happiness is."

All of them seemed stunned for a few moments before Sylvia said, "Glass, huh? I think that sounds about right."

As the others continued their happy discussion, Hikaru watched on with a smile.

Suddenly, his nightmare appeared before his eyes, overlapping with reality.

His smile turned sad as the image shattered like glass.

 _Happiness is like glass. Fogged over by darkness. So fragile._

The happy moment before him also shattered as he tried to sleep for a while.

 _So fragile. Always needs to be protected. So easily… destroyed._

 **Flashback end**

"Happiness… I can't just let it shatter like that so easily without even trying, right?"

His words were more of a question to himself than anyone else.

"I need to take responsibility for my actions. My pride won't allow me to do anything less!"

"Arashi, get back and protect Sylvie." He appeared behind Arashi, throwing him back immediately and slashing with his right hand as the Lux started materialising slowly.

As the blade was materialising, it took the form of a chokuto. It was pitch-black in colour, the blade, hilt, guard, everything.

As it materialised fully, the pitch-black blade cut straight through the neck of one of them while the other jumped back.

As the headless corpse fell to the ground while blood spilled on him, Hikaru looked coldly at the remaining man and at the holographic screen before him.

"You think I'll let someone I love become a killer for my sake? Suffer for my sake? Suffer for your enjoyment?" With each word, his anger grew and lightning crackled in the air.

"If I do that, I'll be no different to you. I won't be human anymore."

" **Hah! To think a monster like you talks about being human… hahahahaha!"**

"Just because I am a monster doesn't mean I don't have a heart."

" **You are making a grave mistake, boy. I implore that you reconsider very,** _ **very**_ **carefully"**

"Heh…Am I now? We make many choices in life. I won't deny that everything will always turn out alright because they don't. Not always. Sometimes, decisions end badly and ultimately lead to nothing but pain and regret. Still, that doesn't mean that we're monsters! The fact that we make mistakes and can learn from them means that we're human! If I'm making a mistake, then fine! I will learn from those mistakes, grow stronger and use my newfound strength to put you down!"

" **Do you realize the consequences of your choice, boy!?"**

"Yeah, I do. But if there's anything I've learned over the course of my life, it's that no matter what choice I make now, I'll eventually come to regret it later however much or little… That's why, I'll do what I feel is right, what I want to do right here and now regardless of what the future may have in store for me! I've made my choice! I will live with the consequences of my decision and fight to protect Sylvie and the people that I love!"

He moved his hand at a high speed for a slash.

Suddenly, the second executive fell to the floor, cut to pieces.

"Rest in pieces, bastard."

Hikaru then glared at Reaper.

"Send them after me, Reaper. Send all your executives after me. I will slaughter each and every last one of them!"

The screen disappeared at his words and he sheathed the chokuto in a scabbard hanging at his waist.

"I won't let someone I love suffer for my sake due to me. That weakness is something I hate." He spoke to himself.

As the screen disappeared, Hikaru turned towards Sylvia and walked past her, ruffling her hair a bit as he did so.

"Don't worry, Sylvie. I'll protect everyone."

Before she could so much as utter a word, he was already gone.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Hikaru walked towards the door, feeling a powerful killing intent just outside the auditorium.

"What are you going to do now?"

He walked towards the door while lightning danced around him in arcs.

His Kanmuru had activated.

"This is just the beginning, Arashi… the beginning of their end!"

He then disappeared.

"Where did he…?"

Arashi's question was answered moments later when a series of explosions ripped through the college building.

"What the!"

A group of students immediately ran out, witnessing a large wolf made of lightning biting onto a snake made of water.

On the now damaged building, on one of the outer staircases stood Hikaru, locking swords with a woman with black hair.

Suddenly, a fist made of purple smoke headed towards them.

"This is bad! That's poison!"

Both of the sword users jumped back as the fist crushed the metal.

The lightning wolf then bit at the water serpent's neck and tore it off, making the water form a giant puddle.

Hikaru landed on that puddle, standing on a destroyed part of the roof.

A big wall of ice formed before Hikaru and he immediately turned towards the middle-school building.

Nestor and Arashi were standing on the roof.

"You idiots! Get back!"

"Let us support you in the very least! You have been fighting for our sakes long enough!"

With a glare at the two students, Hikaru slashed at the ice wall and cut through it, while slashing at a fist with his second chokuto. As the ice broke into chunks, he slashed at each chunk in quick succession, breaking them into tiny pieces.

A whip of water caught each of his limbs and suddenly, electric cables were thrown into the puddle.

An electric charge ran through the giant puddle, severely shocking the teen in the centre of the puddle.

"Hikaru!" Arashi shouted in concern.

An evil laughter rang out as Hikaru suddenly disappeared, the whips of water not holding.

Suddenly, Hikaru appeared behind them and a sharp pain erupted at the neck before they were knocked out.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Sylvia was utterly shocked as Hikaru suddenly appeared before her, carrying a knocked out Arashi and Nestor.

"Take care of these two idiots." With those words, he disappeared.

A short moment later, a huge lightning bolt struck the college building.

The sound awoke the two knocked out students.

"Wh-what happened?"

"I don't know either. Hikaru-kun carried you two here. The two of you were out cold when he arrived." Sylvia briefly informed them.

"How were we even knocked out?"

"That bastard!" Arashi said, quite angrily. "Hikaru knocked us out."

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Sylvia asked. "He told us not to interfere but…. I don't want to leave him to fend for himself. Who knows what could happen to him?"

They had no answer to her question and simply hung their heads low.

A sudden burst of killing intent from the front made them immediately jump back before a blade of lightning cut through a snake made of poisonous fog which was at the spot where they previously stood.

"Don't involve them in this, Cobra!" Hikaru shouted in anger at a man who stood at the tail of the snake.

He had brown hair and only one blue eye, the other covered by an eyepatch.

"You involved them!"

"Shut up!"

Both of them sent an animal made of their Prana at the other. Hikaru's Prana converted the Mana to form a lightning wolf while the Void Order executive formed a poison serpent.

"You think a serpent can stop a wolf?! Think again!"

The wolf bit into the head of the serpent while using its claws to pin its body to the ground.

Suddenly, a water serpent coiled around the wolf's neck, crushing the neck.

"Break!"

Suddenly, the lightning wolf dissipated and a lightning dragon formed around the water serpent, crashing into it.

The poison serpent headed towards Hikaru, unrestricted by anything.

Hikaru stood calmly, the scythe held horizontally in his hands.

In a single movement, the head of the serpent was split into two and a bolt of lightning hit the man at the end of the serpent.

"The Narukami gives me power even when it is not in use. I just have to acknowledge that I am killing something precious to me."

A big sword made of pure lightning beheaded Cobra and Hikaru smirked as the lightning dragon bit into the water serpent and dissipated.

A current of electricity travelled through the water. "Tag. You are it."

Suddenly, wolves made of lightning appeared from the electrified water and started tearing into a man covered by a black cloak.

His screams of pain were silenced as a wolf bit into his neck and head, ending his life.

"Next, you are the only one left." Hikaru said, turning towards the woman with black hair. She held a longsword in each hand.

"How many have you killed, monster? Frost, Inferno, Cobra, Wave, Fang, Claw, Stone, Storm… I will take my vengeance for them!"

" Yeah, yeah, I did." Hikaru replied with a nonchalant tone. "Try all you can. You will be joining them soon!"

With a grin on his face, Hikaru ran towards the man, his blue chokutos held in his hands. Sparks erupted from the ground as he dragged the blades across the ground he stood upon, running straight at the woman.

He slashed with the right and then the left. As both of the blows were blocked, he continued the left slash into a semi-circular arc while slashing at her legs with his right sword.

"Tch!"

"You are persistent, monster!"

"You are an extremely annoying bitch! Did anyone ever tell you that?!"

With a sudden increase in speed, he cut her right arm, creating a long gash. Another second later, a similar gash was formed on her left arm.

"ARGHH!"

"Just shut up."

A dagger found its way to each of her legs, creating the opposite effect of his words.

"What? Are you really one of Reaper's executives? Guess it was wrong of me to expect something from you weaklings." His voice was cold and calm, almost like he was stating a fact. "And for your information, I killed 8 of the executives and the traitorous bitch that you kept as a mole. And now, you are next!"

He jumped back a few feet and arcs of electricity danced around him.

"Kanmuru!"

He ran at her again, clashing swords with his next victim, for there was no other word to describe her. The difference was clear. There was not a single gash on Hikaru while the woman was bleeding from various wounds inflicted by him.

With a sudden motion, Hikaru stabbed her in the neck and left her to choke on her own blood. The red liquid pooled around her while Hikaru calmly turned his back to her and walked away.

"This is just the beginning of the end. Until I kill each and every member of Void Order, I can't let this end." He spoke to himself while sheathing his swords.

He then turned to the group who were at a safe distance from the fight, glaring at them.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"If you do that again, I will break your limbs and throw you in here." Hikaru said seriously.

"We wanted to help…" Nestor tried to say in a weak tone.

"Help? Did I look like I needed help?"

"Yes?" Arashi tried to say.

"I was baiting them. Because you idiots interfered, I had to use the Narukami's price again. Killing off my own feelings is not something I am very interested in doing."

"Sorry."

"That won't cut it." He said with a glare. "If anyone interferes again, I will knock them out and throw them back in here."

"Aren't you-"

"Not a single word. If I hadn't stopped that serpent, you all would be poisoned and likely be dead by now. So, for now, follow my orders."

"Alright. We're sorry, Hikaru-kun."

"Sylvia, Claudia, don't apologise. You two however…"

Arashi and Nestor had extremely guilty looks on their faces.

"Sorry."

"Good."

Suddenly, he threw a dagger towards the door.

"Why don't you come out and we will settle this? I am tired and annoyed of playing hide-and-seek and other stupid games. You come out and I will kill you, or I can just wander around and you attack me. Either way, you are dead." He said in a cold voice, twirling his scythe around.

A man suddenly appeared, as if he was invisible mere moments prior and then said, "You seem to be mistaken, boy. Your opponent is waiting for you at the roof of the building you just destroyed. If you manage to defeat both Witch and Wizard, then you may face me."

"Wizard? Just so you know, I am not very good with wizards and the like."

"Let's see. If you beat both Wizard and Witch, then you will face me."

With an insane laugh, Hikaru walked towards the door, passing by the man.

"Now I know who you are. You are Reaper's right-hand man and strongest executive. The final guy. The field boss, I guess."

"Refer to me by whatever you will, boy. You are going to die today."

"Sorry but I don't plan on dying today."

The teen disappeared with a burst of lightning.

A small amount of lightning was left behind.

 **Touch them and I will kill you in the most painful way possible.**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Seidoukan Academy**

 **College Building Rooftop**

The Raijin of Seidoukan appeared before the Witch and Wizard of Void Order, his face set into a cold and calm visage.

"Just so you know, I will torture you mentally and then I will kill you, boy."

"My opponents are two people at Rank 1, huh? Let's see how I fare against them." Hikaru said, not even perturbed by the words of Witch.

He ran at the two while throwing his scythe. It was repelled by Wizard while he suddenly floated in the air.

He went slack as his mind faded into black and darkness consumed him.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Pain.

Excruciating pain which made him scream but not a sound left his mouth as he tried to speak.

Blood all around him. Corpses.

"Where is this?"

Witch suddenly appeared before him, holding a limp person in her hands.

"Sylvie!"

The purple-eyed girl was bleeding from many wounds.

 _What is this? What is happening?!_

"Let's see how you will scream if I torture her."

"No, no, no, no, no… NOOO!"

Then his suffering began as she was tortured repeatedly.

"Stop it!"

Repeatedly stabbed.

Tainted.

Violated.

Hurt.

Wounded.

Destroyed.

And it began again.

Her screams echoed in his mind as her eyes lost the light, only for the torture to start all over again.

Each time, a pair of purple eyes, filled with tears and looking at him.

Three words mouthed to him. Three powerful words, which broke him each time they were repeated.

 _I'm sorry, Hikaru-kun._

His own eyes were bloodshot and widened with fear.

His hair, once a vibrant blue, was now almost white, with just a few streaks of the blue remaining.

Suddenly, another person appeared before him.

An involuntary growl escaped his lips at the person before him.

 _REAPER!_

Cold red eyes looked down at him, almost mockingly, mocking his efforts, mocking his very existence.

"You are weak, boy." Each word stung, almost like a knife stabbing him. "You cannot protect the people you love. How will you protect the whole school if you can't even protect a group of people?"

Blue-red eyes widened in rage as each word rang in his ears.

 _Weakness?_

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"What is taking him so long?!"

"Damn it! Hikaru, what the hell are you doing?!"

A large burst of killing intent suddenly bore down on them.

The temperature of the whole room seemed to immediately drop down by many degrees and the students started shaking.

A majority of them fell unconscious from the pressure while those who were still conscious couldn't stop shaking in fear.

Suddenly, a loud crash at the entrance to the auditorium gathered the attention of many, only to be dispelled by a loud animalistic roar.

However…

"Hikaru?" Arashi whispered, concern and fear in his voice as the roar sounded a bit like Hikaru's voice and the aura also felt like him, but a lot darker and distant.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"Just stop this… don't hurt them anymore."

His voice was broken as he looked at Sylvia.

Both of them were chained to chairs. However, injuries were visible on their bodies, and various weapons were stabbed into their bodies.

Her blood was on him, on his hands.

"I'm sorry, Hikaru-kun…"

Again, the same words.

The same lifeless eyes.

The same scream.

Cruel laughter rang out as a sadistic voice said, "What? You think this is the end?" Another laugh. "This is just the beginning… the beginning of your end!"

As the torture continued, he was hanging on. Hanging on to those words.

 _Beginning of my end?_

He searched his own memory. Those words. His own voice had spoken those words.

 _Beginning of the end._

Suddenly, a darker voice started to echo in his mind.

 _ **Do you want power? Power to kill all who stand in your way? Power to destroy all those who wronged you?**_

 _Power?_

 _ **Power! The power to destroy! The power to destroy everything that drags you down! The power to destroy every obstacle!**_

The faces of a few people flashed before him. All the people he cared about. All the people he loved. Each of the face was stained with blood, eyes dull and lifeless.

Everything broke. It shattered into pieces. _Happiness. Glass._

He snapped. The chains holding him shattered to pieces and ice started spreading around him, freezing everything around him.

Lightning danced around him violently, destroying everything.

"Not anymore… I will destroy everything that stands in my path!"

He rebelled.

The screams which haunted him stopped as he roared in anger.

The darkness which he was trying to escape from embraced him.

Cold, inviting, enticing, embracing, dark.

He lost control.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

A beast roared in anger as the dust cleared.

The students and faculty gasped.

Shock and fear ran through them as they stared at the form of Hikaru pinning the two Void Order executives to the ground with his leg.

The sole member of Void Order stared at the two broken forms of Witch and Wizard in disbelief.

Wizard was still alive, but he felt that he was better off dead.

Only half of their bodies were present, the other halves not attached to their bodies. The lower halves were a few feet from them, blood pooling around them.

A big hole was carved into Witch, right where her heart and lungs were. The heart and lungs, along with many other vital organs were gouged out and the holes on her body were proof of that. Her arms were burned beyond measure and some parts of her flesh were missing. Her whole skull was broken and her head crushed by the force of the crash. Most of her ribs, which were visible through the holes in her corpse were also shattered, broken into extremely fine pieces.

Wizard was on the verge of death and his suffering was clear to everyone. No words could begin to describe the pain he must be feeling now. He was cut, slashed, stabbed, gutted and _mauled_ beyond measure. The blood leaking from his eyes or where his eyes should be told everything, or so he thought. His eyes were gouged out along with most of his vital organs. His jaw itself was ripped out and his arms were broken, the bones in them shattered into pieces. His ribs were in the same state, with all 12 pairs of ribs being shattered beyond repair. Various other injuries were visible on his body.

Wizard tried to squeeze out a few words from his mouth but failed. The blood in his throat was making it difficult to even breathe, let alone speak. He was overwhelmed by darkness and was feeling only one thing. Pain. Lots of pain.

As he tried to slowly get up, a foot crushed his hopes, along with his lungs. His ruptured lungs were starting to fill with his own blood.

Suddenly, the same foot kicked him on his side, sending him into the air. A crushing force threw him back to the ground. Sharp claws pierced him, causing him excruciating pain. His heart and lungs being gouged was the last thing he left that caused him pain before his head was crushed brutally.

Hikaru, who was now looking coldly at the corpse of the executive, turned towards the last executive and glared at him. His eyes were a pure blood-red, almost like they reflected the blood that he had spilled. His hair was now half-white, half-blue.

The aura surrounding him was a terrifying cold white. Sharp claws made of lightning were forming around his hands while his sharp fang-like teeth made him look much like a wolf.

Suddenly, a white lightning bolt struck the two corpses behind him and when the bright flash disappeared, the two corpses were not there. A burn mark was left behind on the ground.

"I've had enough of your filthy presence in this place!"

The white lightning surrounding him started to shoot outwards, more specifically, shoot towards the final executive.

"Once I kill you, the only one left is _him_ and then everything will be finished."

A barrier appeared before the final executive, blocking the white lightning.

"Light?"

Another followed, only to be blocked in the same way. A simultaneous attack from all directions was blocked effortlessly, however, the barrier seemed to be a little thinner. No one noticed that each time, the lightning started to slowly turn black.

This exchange continued for a few minutes before the barrier expanded suddenly, clashing against the lightning and slowly pushing it back. With an angry shout, Hikaru poured more energy into his attack and the lightning clashed against the barrier with more force, pushing the barrier back. Eventually, they settled into a stalemate.

Hikaru spoke through gritted teeth, clearly angry. "Why don't you drop down and die?!"

"Please spare me. I do not believe that you can defeat me. And neither can you defeat Reaper-sama."

"Defeat? You seem to have it wrong!" With a shout, he pushed the barrier back. "I plan on slaughtering each and every last one of you! Each and every last one of you who tried to hurt those I love!"

Suddenly, the lightning bolts increased in number, pushing back the barrier towards the executive. Just as suddenly, the lightning was pushed back as the barrier expanded even more. "You are persistent, boy. I will give you that." "You are too annoying!"

"My, my… to think that you would insult me, Warlock, in such a way. Such a rude boy."

Hikaru didn't retort with words. The lightning attacking again was his answer as he slowly walked forward. His pace increased as the lightning disappeared altogether and he jumped straight at the barrier, swiping with the claws.

As the attack was blocked, he spun and kicked at it. With each hit, the barrier started to slowly move back. Tiny cracks started to form at the spot where he hit.

To the people who watched the clash, it was clear.

"Hikaru is outclassed." Arashi said in a grim tone, the Crescent Moon already in his hands, ready to jump in.

"Don't know. If he uses his Orga Lux-"

"Even if he uses the Orga Lux, if he can't break through, then nothing would happen."

A short moment later, Hikaru brought out a Lux.

As he activated it, there were many perplexed looks.

"Gloves?"

Black fingerless gloves with blue lines on them appeared on his arms and he punched the barrier once. A big crack developed on the barrier.

"What?!"

"Mana is accumulating around his fists." Nestor said as he looked closely at the fight. "He is turning the mana into a sharp point, while simultaneously using his Prana to strengthen his blows and manipulate the mana."

With each blow, cracks started to spread across the barrier, before a shattering sound echoed as the barrier broke.

Suddenly, whips of light held Hikaru in place as blades of light stabbed into him. His ankles and wrists were stabbed deeply, the tip of the blade poking out from the other side. With a scream of pain, Hikaru struggled. The gloves disappeared as the blades stabbed into his palms, breaking the Manadyte in the gloves.

A moment later, he was stabbed in the legs. His arms were next.

Each attack made the teen release an involuntary scream of pain.

Arashi seemed to have had enough as he jumped in, swinging the Crescent Moon.

The blade of light passed through, unimpeded, stabbing Hikaru in the gut.

Suddenly, a burst of black lightning hit the Warlock.

"A-Arashi *cough* get back."

"What?! You are injured!"

"Get back!"

Slowly, the light blades started to crack as black lightning encircled them.

"You can't help anyway! Don't come in my way!" He said harshly as the blades all shattered and he jumped straight at the man.

His eyes were a pure red as he punched Warlock in the gut harshly, making him cough out some blood. As he was bent over, a high kick to his chin threw him into the air. Just as he passed the teen, Hikaru disappeared into the air and kicked down harshly.

The axe kick to his chest produced a cracking sound as a few ribs were broken from the blow. As he started to fall, a punch was aimed at his face, breaking his nose along with parts of his jaw.

He crashed to the ground with immense force. By this time, Arashi was blown back by the force. As Hikaru started to fall to the ground, he spun into a kick while enhancing the power with his Prana.

The crash created a loud explosion and dust flew up. Two silhouettes were visible in the dust, one on the ground and the other in the air, the second looking as if they were levitating.

When the dust cleared, the silhouette on the ground was revealed to be Warlock, holding Hikaru back with a barrier. Both of his hands were up, struggling with the barrier.

With a grunt, Hikaru jumped back, springboarding off a tree and coming right back at Warlock. His kick clashed against the barrier once again. Using the barrier as a foothold, he spun into a roundhouse kick and then a punch.

All three attacks were blocked by the barrier.

As he jumped back with a frown, Hikaru said, "I see. That's how it works, huh? You use your hands as a medium to focus your Prana and then convert the mana into light. Then you can shape it into various forms. Very useful. The hands are very easy to channel Prana into."

"Have you accepted that you cannot defeat me?" Warlock asked with a mocking laugh.

"Nope. It just makes it a lot more easier." He said with a grin.

Suddenly, he disappeared and appeared before the barrier. With a palm strike followed by a kick, the barrier shattered. He kicked Warlock up again. When his legs were at face level, he grabbed Warlock's ankles tightly, crushing them with his strong grip while throwing him to the ground.

A moment later, two lightning daggers stabbed Warlock's shoulders and palms, pinning his arms to the ground.

" _ **You know, that laughter sounds like scorn and disdain to me. I will change it to screams of dread and pain!"**_ His voice was distorted, as if two voices were speaking at once.

His grin turned sadistic as he stomped on the man's left knee, shattering the joint. He then broke the femur and then each of the toes. Each injury made the Warlock scream in pain. Another stomp shattered his ribs.

Hikaru's grin was sadistic and devilish while his eyes were wide. The black lightning around him was dancing wildly.

A moment later, he was spun around, his face against the ground and Warlock felt a pair of hands hold his left leg tightly and pull. Pain erupted as he tried to struggle from the grip while his leg was dislocated. A moment later, he lost all feeling in his leg. A thud before him made him look forward, only to see his left leg before him. His detached left leg.

He screamed in fear and pain as his right leg was stabbed through the ankle and foot. The black lightning dagger caused him immense pain as it burned his flesh. A few painstaking moments later, his right leg ended up in the same way.

Warlock felt his own blood pooling around him before a kick to his back shattered part of his spine, causing him excruciating pain but still keeping him alive.

" _ **Painful, huh? Well, I felt pain a lot more than this!"**_

Hikaru pinned Warlock to the ground with one leg and then gripped his right arm tightly.

" _ **You are proud of your hands, huh? Proud of your so-called technique? Proud of your stupid power?"**_

With a strong pull, Hikaru dislocated the other man's shoulder and with a twist, broke his arm. _**"How about I pluck your arms off?"**_ He asked in a grim tone.

He didn't wait for an answer before ripping off his arm. A moment later, he broke the man's remaining arm with a stomp and then pulled it back.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around him tightly.

"Please stop Hikaru-kun!"

 _Sylvie?_

"It's over. He can't fight back anymore. Please don't hurt him anymore."

" _ **Don't interfere, Sylvie."**_

"Please stop it, Hikaru-kun! Stop this. This isn't like you."

" _ **Let go, Sylvie. Get back."**_

He slowly removed her hands from around him and then kicked Warlock again, throwing him forward into the air. A sharp sword stabbed him in the back and pinned him to the ground.

"No, I won't! Stop it! Hikaru-kun!."

" _ **Why?"**_ He asked heatedly. _**"Why are you stopping me!?"**_

"Because this isn't who you are, Hikaru-kun! The Hikaru-kun that I know is strong and kind, firm but fair. He'd never do this! This isn't like you at all! Please just stop….This isn't who my friend is."

" _ **He hurt you. They hurt you!"**_

"I'm alright. See? Nobody hurt me."

" _ **Shut up! I saw it with my own eyes!"**_

He was suddenly spun around. "Then look at me with those same eyes! Am I hurt?" Sylvia's voice was gentle yet quivering.

Slowly, the black lightning disappeared while wounds started to appear on his body and his eyes turned back to their normal color as he collapsed to his knees.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 _Where am I?_

That was the only thought on his mind as he looked around. Everywhere he looked, it was dark, cold and uninviting.

 _Where is she? Where's Sylvia?_

" _ **ARGHHH!"**_

A pained scream echoed from around him. His eyes scanned his surroundings for the source.

 _Who is that?!_

He received no answer and frantically continued to search for the purple-haired girl.

 _Where am I? Why is it so dark?!_

As he tried to move, black chains made of lightning held him down, holding him in place.

 _These chains… release me! I need to go! I need to save her! I need to save Sylvie!_

The chains binding him became tighter and tighter, forcing him to struggle violently. He started to bleed as he struggled.

Suddenly, he felt a comfortable warmth surround him as a pair of arms wrapped around him.

" _Please stop it, Hikaru-kun."_

 _Sylvie?!_

" _ **Don't interfere, Sylvie."**_

 _My voice?_ His voice was distorted and sounded demonic. _No!_ His eyes widened in realisation. _Narukami! It's controlling me!_

He struggled fiercely.

A chain wrapped around his wrists, ankles and neck, trying to suffocate.

" _Please stop this, Hikaru-kun. You aren't like this."_

Her voice was tender and filled with fear. Fear _for_ him. A comfortable warmth enveloped him like a tender embrace, shielding him from all his fears and worries.

" _ **Let go, Sylvie. Get back."**_

" _No! Stop it, Hikaru-kun!"_

" _ **Why?"**_ His struggling increased as he tried to break free. _**"Why are you stopping me?"**_

" _Because this isn't something the Hikaru-kun I know would do! Because this isn't something my friend would ever do! Please, stop!"_

" _ **He hurt you! They hurt you!"**_

He struggled even more. His arm was bleeding badly, and the chain holding it was sporting cracks as he saw Sylvia appear before him.

She was alright. No wounds, no blood. Eyes still bright and filled with life. Her lustrous purple hair untainted by blood. She was… safe.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Wounds started appearing on his body as the black lightning started to disappear. He collapsed to his knees and fell forward, unconscious. A small smile was on his face, despite the various wounds on his body.

"So you are safe, Sylvie. That's a relief…"

Those were his last words before he fell unconscious.

Sylvia caught him as he fell down before Arashi came to support her.

Suddenly, they were surrounded by light.

"What?!"

Warlock laughed maniacally as he used his ability on the trio.

"I will destroy all of you. Be consumed by the holy light!"

Suddenly, a powerful pressure bore down on them and the light disappeared.

"Reaper-sama!" Warlock cried out happily.

"You are useless, Warlock."

"Reaper-sama, I can kill him. That boy will die today!"

"You are a pawn to me, Warlock. A useless pawn who has outlived his usefulness. You die today."

Suddenly, blue flames started to engulf Warlock and he screamed.

His face showed despair as he was burned to ashes.

Reaper seemed to look at Hikaru for just a fleeting moment before he walked away.

 **XXXXXXXXX**

"What do we do!? His injuries aren't healing!" Arashi said as he looked at the injured teen while replacing the bandages.

"We need a healer!" Sylvia said as she looked at the bloody bandages in her hand. They were fully stained with blood and were a bit hardened from the dried blood.

"But who'd be willing to? No one wants to interact with him, let alone heal him." Nestor said in a depressed tone.

They were still in the auditorium, but near the door and beside them was a box filled with medical supplies.

Arashi was next to Sylvia, with no visible injuries but still exhausted nonetheless.

"I already tried asking some people if they knew any healers but they all either refused or claimed to not know anyone." Nestor said, anger clear in his voice. "He's alright for now."

"That's good."

"Hey, Arashi, what do you think that was back then? Their leader killed his own man."

"I don't understand, Fandorin-senpai. But that was our good luck is what I want to think. Hikaru-kun might not be alive if he didn't interfere." Claudia said in a grave tone.

"Rather, what I want to know is why he interfered. If he hadn't killed his own agent, then Hikaru would be dead. He's the only one who could put up a fight and maybe defeat the guy."

Suddenly, a big explosion occurred, making everyone alert.

"That came from the entrance." Claudia said as she looked at the door.

"Entrance?"

"Think about it. If the leader is defeated, then we'd be free. What stopped the Stjarnagarm from entering?" Arashi questioned rhetorically.

"Bombs around the entrance. Maybe mines. But they can be activated by remote."

"And maybe a barrier. I guess that the strongest Strega, Guard Captain Helga Lindwall is here too. However, she can't use her ability to stop the bombs nor take apart a barrier. If she had tried that, Reaper would have pulled off something else and hurt or killed us all. So they are cautious. With this, maybe the barrier is weakening and he wants to delay the Stjarnagarm."

"Possible."

A groan made them turn towards Hikaru who was slowly waking up.

"Ouch… what is that pain, damn?" He tried to sit up and immediately regretted it.

"Hikaru-kun, it's better if you don't move much."

"It would be easier for me to sit." He answered, still in a bit of a daze.

"Let me help."

With some help, he sat up and leaned against the wall.

"These wounds didn't heal, huh?" He muttered to himself.

He immediately turned to Sylvia and hugged her tightly.

"Ouch… Hikaru-kun, what happened back there?" She whimpered in pain and surprise.

She received no response, however. Hikaru was too busy crying again and didn't let go of her. After a minute, he released her from his arms.

"Sorry. I really scared you, didn't I?"

Both Sylvia and Arashi seemed shocked by this display before Nestor laughed slightly.

"I think that is the first time I saw you hug someone and cry. Damn, I wish I had a camera."

"Shut up."

"What happened, Hikaru-kun? You weren't in control back there." Sylvia asked, concerned.

"Can you tell me what exactly happened back there? I don't remember it clearly."

"Let me tell you. I saw it clearly." Nestor said.

He then described the massacre that had occurred some time before exactly as he had seen it.

Hikaru's face paled at some points and he asked, "I did all that?"

"As much as I want to say you didn't, you did. An accurate description would be to say that it looked like you mauled them."

"Mauled them? I see. A beast." He then looked back up. "Continue."

"Then you fought that Warlock guy. He blocked your attacks many times. I think it was at that time that the lightning was starting to turn black. Your eyes also were blood-red. The usual blue was not there."

"The Narukami… it was controlling me."

"You finally overwhelmed him. Arashi had tried to interfere but when your lightning turned fully black, he was blown back. Frankly, it was his mistake to interfere when you told him not to. And you fought brutally. More like causing him pain instead of killing him. You broke and stabbed his legs and arms. And broke part of his spine too, I think. Both of the legs, and the right arm, you ripped them off."

"And your voice was distorted too, Hikaru-kun. As if-"

"As if two voices were speaking at once." Hikaru interrupted her.

"Yes."

"After that, Lyyneheym over there interfered, stopped you from ripping off his left arm and hugged you from behind. You said some weird things about her being hurt. And she said that she wasn't and told you to confirm with your own eyes. Then shit hit the can. You started bleeding, the lightning disappeared, your wounds wouldn't heal and you fell unconscious. That Warlock guy then surrounded us in a barrier spouting some he would kill you shit. And the leader appeared, said that the Warlock guy was a useless pawn and then killed him. He seemed to glance at you for just a moment and then left. Then we brought you here and started treating your wounds. We tried to ask for a healing ability user but…"

"No one wanted to help me. I understand." After a few seconds, he asked, "Wait, you said that my voice was distorted. And that Reaper killed this Warlock guy. Right?"

"Yeah."

"How did he kill him?"

"The guy just up and burned him."

"Flames huh? And he glanced momentarily at me before he left?"

"Yup. Don't know why though."

 _I know, Nestor. I think he is the person I thought he was._

"The only thing I remember is going to the college building to fight Witch and Wizard. Then I blacked out. What I saw was… Sylvie."

"Me?"

"You were being repeatedly hurt before my eyes and I couldn't do anything. I think I snapped then. I lost control." He looked at his own hand, which was covered by a bandage which was turning red.

"When I woke up, I was in darkness. Dark, cold. Then I heard a few voices. A scream, Sylvie's and my own. I tried to break free and save her. But chains made of black lightning started to bind me. I finally broke free but I was bleeding from the many wounds I had. That was also the time I saw that she was safe. And then I fell unconscious."

After a moment of silence, Sylvia said, "At least you're safe."

She then said, "I looked at one of the photos. I can positively say that you look like your parents very much."

"W-w-wait… when did this happen?!" Arashi asked, being left out of the loop.

"I'll tell you afterwards." Hikaru said before standing up slowly.

"Narukami." He called and the Orga Lux appeared in his hand. At the same time, a pressure started to bear down on them as the doors were blasted open by a mysterious force.

Hikaru looked at Reaper with no emotion while standing up and looking at him.

"Your wounds haven't healed?"

"Don't know why though." Hikaru replied, almost casually. Many students were knocked out from the pressure, the only students awake being his group and a few others. Kyouko herself was the only teacher awake.

"I think I know your motives now. You're not trying to attack Asterisk. No, Asterisk was never the target. It was simply a means to your true objective. It's me, isn't it? I'm the one you're really after."

"Hoh? And why would you think that?"

"Because I know who you are. And you know me." Hikaru answered before suddenly firing a bolt of electricity at his face.

The sudden attack couldn't be dodged or blocked and a cracking sound echoed in the silence.

The mask which he wore broke while his hood fell off from the force of the attack.

Black hair and piercing blue eyes. A face with some similarities to the teen opposite him.

"How are you doing, Hikaru?" He asked in a warm voice.

"I am doing good but these past few days haven't been very pleasant for me, all thanks to you. You know me but you tried to hurt me and even succeeded. I was almost broken and I changed. But I still can't bring myself to fully hate you, Jin oji-san."

 **XXXXXXXX**

 **Finally! Finished. About 10 pages less than chapter 4 but still long.**

 **I felt the Sylvia and Hikaru part was important to sow the seeds of their relationship between Hikaru and Sylvia and that Hikaru trusted her enough to confide in her.**

 **Please review~**

 **Notice: I have my exams and will be busy till June 2018. I will not be able to type any new chapters since I need to focus on my exams. There won't be any new update for this fic till June 2018. But don't worry, I** _ **will**_ **update this fic. I will not abandon this and will update this fic in June.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm back! I'm really sorry for the long wait! High school is extremely time-consuming, especially in India. I had my hands full for a long time. And college has already started, so updates will be slow.**

 **I thank everyone who reviewed. Thank you!**

 **Please enjoy the chapter.**

 **P.S.:Please read author's note at the end.**

 _/... / - Flashback_

" _I'm speaking through telepathy." - Telepathic communication_

" _ **What can you give me in exchange for power?" - Orga Lux speaking to wielder**_

 _ **The enemy still lives - Second personality speaking**_

 **Raijin, Rank#0 of Seidoukan Academy**

 **Chapter 6**

 **Void:The End**

"I think I know your motives now. You're not trying to attack Asterisk. No, Asterisk was never the target. It was simply a means to your true objective. It's me, isn't it? I'm the one you're really after."

"Hoh? And why would you think that?"

"Because I know who you are. And you know me." Hikaru answered before suddenly firing a bolt of electricity at his face.

The sudden attack couldn't be dodged or blocked and a cracking sound echoed in the silence.

The mask which he wore broke while his hood fell off from the force of the attack.

Black hair and piercing blue eyes. A face with some similarities to the teen opposite him.

"How are you doing, Hikaru?" He asked in a warm voice.

"I am doing good but these past few days haven't been very pleasant for me, all thanks to you. You know me but you tried to hurt me and even succeeded. I was almost broken and I changed. But I still can't bring myself to fully hate you, Jin oji-san."

His voice was cold and filled with venom, his eyes burning with hatred as he glared at the older man before him.

"Now now… why are you looking at me so angrily?" The Phoenix runner-up said while stepping up to the teen, almost caringly.

Just as Jin placed a hand on his nephew's shoulder, it was stopped before a strong and sudden kick to his ribs made him widen his eyes in shock and pain. A few of his ribs cracked from the blow while a small crater formed below the two fighters.

"Don't touch me, you scum!" Hikaru roared angrily and rushed forward as Jin summoned his weapon, making the sole conscious teacher narrow her eyes angrily as a wall of flames formed around him.

"That spear is...!" Kyouko growled through gritted teeth as Hikaru slashed with his katana, cutting straight through the flames.

The blade of the katana was glowing slightly as sparks ran through it occasionally.

Just as his blade neared the man who made him suffer, he was thrown back by an invisible force towards a wall.

"Will you listen to me, nephew?"

"Listen to you?!"

"I came here to talk to you."

"Shut up!"

"I have a reason for everyth-"

"SHUT UP!"

Dragons of lightning started to appear out of nowhere as they attacked the figure surrounded by flames, as their creator slowly stood up, recovering from his collision with the wall.

"Talk? Reason?! Do I look like I care?!" He shouted, the lightning surrounding him starting to change slowly to white.

"You killed my parents! You made me suffer! Forced me to kill! What good reason did you have for that?! Huh?! You think I need a reason for what you did?!"

He ran at the man again, losing himself to his anger.

With a burst of speed and strength not seen before, he appeared before Jin, sword already in motion.

The sword clashed against the shaft of the spear in a shower of sparks as the flames around them intensified.

The blue-haired teen was engulfed by the flames and a sharp scream of pain made a few voices cry out in fear.

"Hikaru-kun!"

"Hikaru!"

The flames started to flicker away as Hikaru was thrown back again by Jin's ability.

His clothes were partially burnt, but the most worrying things were the numerous swords stabbed into his arms and legs and the long sword piercing through his stomach and back.

All the blades seemed to be red hot as the teen held back his pained scream as the swords seemed to be pushing themselves deeper into his body.

Jin's eyes became cold and expressionless as a heavy pressure started to push them to the ground.

The walls started to crack from the monstrous strength emitted by the final terrorist left on campus. The ones suffering the worst of the pressure were Hikaru, Arashi, and Sylvia, who were the nearest people to the black-haired man.

"You haven't learnt your lesson even after all these years, nephew."

Hikaru could do nothing but listen as he was forced to the ground by the former student as the **Gravitas Autem Magi** continued his speech, never letting up on his power and continuing to push them down with his ability.

"I taught you to fear opponents on a higher level than you. Recognise that fear and use logic to beat them. Beat them with logic, beat them with strategy and tactics, beat them with ability. _Never_ try to beat them with power. Have you forgotten these teachings of mine, nephew?"

Hikaru's only response was a snarl as he struggled to move.

"Logic? Fear? Why should I fear you, bastard?!" Hikaru bit out angrily as Jin looked down on him, literally.

"You are weak, nephew. What can you do to stop me? Even if I hurt you, you can't stop me. Even if I hurt those you want to protect, you are _powerless_ to stop me."

As if to prove his point, he took slow steps towards the frozen diva after stabbing Hikaru with the spear in his hand, straight through his body and pinning him to the floor. The blade glowed a fiery red, making Hikaru scream in pain while the spear-wielder continued to walk towards the girl, his boots making ominous clatters against the floor.

As Sylvia started to shake from the killing intent directed at her, images of her own horrific death filling her mind, she started to fade into unconsciousness, Arashi's and Hikaru's voices a distant echo.

"Leave Sylvie alone!"

"Don't you dare touch her!"

The second voice was filled with anger and desperation.

As the black-haired man continued his stride with a mocking smile on his face, his blue eyes filled with sadistic glee, a sudden rise in power from behind him made him move immediately, an action which had probably saved his life.

His nephew was now standing in his previous spot in a new crater, white lightning sparking off his body. He stood protectively over Sylvia, his katana held in his right hand while his left held a chokuto. Both of the blades were coated in lightning and the scent of ozone rapidly filled the air as the swords in Hikaru's limbs were still stuck in his body, the lightning coursing through his body fighting against the fiery aura flowing through the swords. His uniform started to slowly burn away, his shirt already a crisp and tattered mess.

His blue-white hair was spiked and the teen's eyes were now pools of crimson, as if reflecting the blood he had spilled.

" _ **You think I will**_ let you _ **do as you want any longer**_?! You _ **think I will let you**_ hurt those I love _**any longer?"**_ His voice was switching between demonic and human as he spoke but his intentions were clear.

 _Protect those he loves, by any means possible._

"Foolish boy, you think that you can stop me?" He held out his hand and the mana in the air swirled around his outstretched hand, gathering in a vortex in his open palm. Suddenly… "Come, Ifrit." … at his command, in a sickening spectacle of blood, violence and heartlessness, Jin called the spear to him. The spear pierced through the teen's body, blade and shaft, making the teen fall to his knees as a hole appeared in his body, right in the centre of his stomach.

"ARGHHH!" The teen let out an uncontrolled scream as the pain rushed through his hyper-sensitive body and he fell to all fours, struggling to stand, while he violently coughed up blood, his own blood now pooling around him. His eyes flashed between red and blue as he felt the wound healing slowly.

 _Damn it!_

The lightning surrounding his body started to disappear, making the teen curse as he tried to summon his power again.

The gaping hole in his stomach disappeared, leaving a scar as the only trace.

Hikaru stood up again on shaking knees and then said, "I can't let them get hurt! Narukami, give me power! Take my emotions if you want!"

The black Urm Manadyte of the sword glowed ominously while power erupted from the sword, surrounding the teen in white lightning.

His hair was covered with a sheen of white while his eyes became pools of blood-red as he stood up.

The swords lodged in his body started to slowly move and vibrate violently as the lightning clashed against the fiery aura surrounding them.

The gravity acting on the teen intensified, a circle of cracks spreading out around the teen as the floor cracked.

" _ **Convert all the**_ rage I have into **power** _ **and give me strength! Strength to kill all those who threaten my existence! Kill those who hurt the ones I love! Kill all who dare to hurt those I PROTECT! NARUKAMI!"**_

Hikaru's voice was now demonic as his aura started to take form, giving it the appearance of a dragon which started to glare at the black-haired man. The spear in Jin's hand started to vibrate violently.

Flames surrounded the man and started to recede into the red Manadyte in the shaft of the spear while the swords lodged in Hikaru's body finally exited his body, clattering to the floor, leaving wounds which started to heal slowly.

The regeneration seemed to take longer but the wounds closed eventually.

Suddenly, Hikaru disappeared and the fiery aura surrounding Jin flickered out. A puzzled look found its way to Jin's face before pain and surprise overtook as he was punched in the gut by an arm covered in pure white lightning. The man bent over the fist lodged in his stomach and met a pair of demonic red eyes.

"You think _you_ have the power to stop _me_ , foolish boy?"

Jin was still as calm as before, though unease was slowly beginning to creep into his voice. Hikaru was blown away once again by Jin's ability before he blitzed away, leaving a white blur in his wake. The Gravitas Autem Magi stared at the Raijin with amusement as he flicked his wrist and his spear blocked the black katana, the blade stabbing into Hikaru's shoulder as the teen moved past him.

With a grimace, Hikaru slashed with the chokuto in his left hand, while Jin slid back, a sword appearing in his left hand to meet the chokuto. Rapier clashed against chokuto in a shower of sparks. Jin's eyes widened only a fraction of a second at the sudden increase in power and rise in killing intent.

A savage and feral grin found its way to his face as Hikaru lashed out with his right leg, catching Jin in his ribs. The rapier suddenly met no resistance as the chokuto disappeared and a fist shattered the rapier into small fragments, as droplets of blood flew into the air. _What?! What is he doing?!_

The feral grin grew wider, threatening to split his face as he continued to attack without any restraint and a shred of hesitation.

"More! More! Come on! GIVE ME MORE POWER! DIE! DIEEEE!"

The terrorist was slowly being pushed back as the Raijin attacked and attacked without any care for himself. The teen's injuries started to progressively get worse as his hands and limbs were stabbed by the spear in Jin's hands. His uniform was badly burnt and his arms were in a similar situation. Still he attacked without any hint of stopping.

Suddenly, his power started to dwindle then sputtered to nothingness.

A pair of reddish blue eyes widened in shock as the pain suddenly affected him while a red-hot spear was stabbed into his shoulder.

"ARGHH!" The scream ripped itself out of his mouth before he could stop himself and Jin seemed to falter for a bit before ripping the spear out of the teen's shoulder.

"Weak… you are weak, Hikaru. Too weak to stop me."

As if to prove his point, Jin exerted his power a little and pushed the Raijin away before a part of the ceiling fell on the teen.

"HIKARU-KUN!" The Diva cried out in fear and worry as her friend was crushed under the rubble. More pieces of rubble joined them, adding to the weight under which the teen was crushed and creating a crater from the force of the impact.

A few tense moments of silence later, Jin turned around, disappointment in his eyes.

Suddenly, a blast of lightning erupted from the rubble before suddenly changing course. The bolt of lightning performed a series of complicated patterns before going through Jin's defense, shooting straight through his stomach and yet, he stood fast on his feet. At the same instant, from the rubble emerged Hikaru, looking battered, beaten and just about to pass out. Only sheer willpower and his hatred kept him going but even that would not sustain him forever. Jin realizing that confronting his nephew while in such a state would only lead to a devastating defeat for him directly or indirectly, decided to try to appeal to the teen's logical aspect.

"Let's call it a day, shall we? As it stands, neither of us are able to continue fighting without… both of us inevitably dying so what say we take a… three day break before we settle this… once and for all?", he managed to sputter out.

In response, Hikaru glared at him with unbridled fury but otherwise did not respond, thinking over his options.

 _Damnit! I can't take him on like this. He's right, if we continue our battle as is, we'd both end up dying regardless of who wins. If he leaves, then at the very least, I can recover from my wounds given my status as a Regenerative. But I can't do that while locked in combat. I'll have to take him up on his offer._

His mind made up, he deactivated his Orga Lux, still glaring at Jin all the while. Jin, understanding his answer, turned around.

"A good choice, Hikaru. It seems that your anger has not clouded your mind at the very least. If nothing else, that is worthy of praise."

He turned around, his black cloak swishing in accordance with his movements.

As Hikaru stared at his retreating form, he felt the cold embrace of sleep before darkness took hold of him.

"Hikaru-kun!"

"Hikaru!"

The voices of everyone calling out to him were a hazy mix as he fell unconscious, falling to the ground.

 **XXXXXXXXX**

Reddish-blue eyes opened, greeted by a familiar ceiling of white and blue staring back at him.

His eyes spotted a hint of purple and he struggled to speak.

"S-Sylvie…"

Purple hair filled his vision as he slowly sat up, accidentally headbutting Sylvia in the process.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry, Sylvie."

He was about to get up before a blue shirt was thrown at his head.

"Huh?"

He removed the shirt from his head to look at Sylvia, only to find her blushing brightly, looking away from him.

Looking down, he found the cause. His torso was bare, save for a few bandages wrapped around his stomach where a hole had been blown through his body.

"O-onii-chan dressed your wounds and went back to the auditorium about an hour ago." She said timidly, still looking away.

He stood up slowly and carefully, gritting his teeth at the pain that jolted through his nerves at the movements of his left arm and both legs.

 _I need to check how bad these injuries are._

"Sylvie, I'm going to take a shower. Can you wait in the living room? If you're thirsty, there's juice in the kitchen."

With a nod, the purple-haired girl exited the room, leaving the teen alone.

He entered the shower and let the water run down his body while deep in thought.

 _I wasn't strong enough. What did I train for all these years?! He could have killed Sylvie! I used the Narukami too! Even then…!_

After what felt like a long time, he stepped out of the shower and dressed himself in a pair of jeans and a short-sleeved shirt. He stared at his reflection in the mirror before slowly directing his Prana to tend to his wounds.

After a few seconds, his eyes widened in shock as the scars on his arms and legs still remained, and the pain in his limbs had lessened only by a bit.

 _My wounds aren't healing?!_

Still in shock, he conjured a small blade of lightning before pricking his own finger with it while sending his Prana to the wound. His eyes narrowed as the wound closed without any trace.

 _What's going on here?! Why the hell are my powers not working properly?! I should have recovered from the injuries that that bastard dealt to me already!_

His Prana started acting up, his control slowly slipping due to his anger.

"DAMNIT!"

He punched the mirror again, this time instantly shattering it as he vented his anger on it. The small shards of broken glass cut into his hands but he didn't stop.

At the same time, Sylvia was sitting on the couch, tense and worried. She looked at the clock with a worried expression on her face.

 _Hikaru-kun is taking too long. Maybe I should check on him._

She opened the door and peeked her head in. "Hikaru-kun? Are you alright?" She called.

The sound of shattering glass reached her ears along with a shout of anger and pain.

"DAMNIT!"

She immediately bolted towards the open door of the shower.

"Hikaru-kun!"

The aforementioned teen was currently punching the mirror, which was almost shattered. His fist was cut by the shards of glass but he continued to vent his anger, uncaring of the wounds he sustained. Each hit was reinforced with Prana and fury, damaging even the wall behind the mirror.

"Hikaru-kun, stop it! What are you doing?!" Sylvia ran up to him in an attempt to stop him from harming himself any further.

She wrapped her arms around his now bloodied arm, trying to pull him away from the mirror. She initially struggled to restrain him before no longer having to as the teen had ceased his self-destructive venting altogether, allowing himself to be dragged towards the bed by the purple-haired idol.

She sat him on the bed before running back inside the bathroom and returning with a first-aid kit.

She got to work removing the shards of glass still stuck in his hand, paying no heed to the small wince the teen gave as each shard was removed. As she took a swab of cotton to clean and disinfect the wound, her eyes widened in shock and wonder as the numerous cuts started to close slowly on their own.

She glanced momentarily at the teen, finding him shaking, in fear or anger or a mix of both, she would never know.

 _What happened to Hikaru-kun? What made him act like…_ She almost flinched as she recalled the sight of Hikaru venting his anger on the mirror, his bloodied fist and the unhealed wounds on his arms. _… act like that?_

"Ne, Hikaru-kun, what happened?" She asked slowly. "Are you alright?"

His shaking didn't stop as he slowly raised his head to look at her with a forced smile.

"Y-yeah, Sylvie. Just lost my temper a bit… don't worry."

She frowned as she saw past the fake smile but continued to treat his wounds. After a few minutes of silence, she said, "I bandaged most of the open wounds. The glass didn't cut very deep thankfully. Those wounds are already healed."

 _What?!_

Indeed, the wounds on his arms were fully healed without any scar.

His hands shook slightly before he brought his shaking under control.

"Sylvie, how long was I out?"

"2 days."

He widened his eyes immediately. "2 days?! Damnit!"

He tried to walk out of the door immediately but was stopped by the Diva.

"Where do you think you are going?"

"I need to train."

"You need to rest. You are still injured."

"I'm fine now." He answered dismissively but was stopped again.

Sylvia stood before him, blocking the door.

"Move, Sylvie. I need to train."

"Hikaru-kun, you're still hurt. You need to rest now."

"You don't understand, Sylvie! I need to get stronger, even by a little bit!"

"Why?! Why do you want to do everything by yourself, Hikaru-kun?! I don't under-"

BOOM!

Her words were interrupted as a loud explosion shook the room they were in, causing both of them to fall to the floor.

 _The entrance… No way!_

Hikaru immediately ran towards the door, his Prana augmenting his movements.

Sylvia followed him, struggling slightly to keep up with him.

"Please don't… even they aren't that foolish… and Arashi should be there too." Hikaru muttered under his breath. "Just don't let that happen."

He accelerated to the limits of his body, disappearing in a burst of lightning. The Diva could no longer keep up and watched as he disappeared.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

She had just passed Hikaru. She was worried. His eyes were filled with resignation, and he looked as if he was carrying a great burden.

She ran past him, too concerned with the explosion. As she neared the explosion site, a hand stopped her.

"Sylvie, don't look."

Arashi's voice stopped her, making her look up to him.

"Onii-chan, what happened?!"

"Don't look, Sylvie."

He held her close, shielding her from the death and devastation behind him.

Yet, he couldn't hold her back forever. She pushed past him, eyes landing on what he tried to block her from seeing.

She screamed.

 **5 minutes earlier**

Arashi watched, shocked, as the courtyard went up in a devastating explosion, taking many students along with it.

"NOOO!"

 _I failed. Even though I said that I'll protect the students, I failed._

"DAMNIT!"

He felt a surge of power as Hikaru stopped beside him, the lightning surrounding the younger teen fading away.

"No… this can't happen." He whispered, voice filled with disbelief.

Arashi gestured towards the injured students. "Hikaru, can you…?" He trailed off. He knew that he was asking the impossible. The young boy had no obligation to help those who shunned him.

Yet, he moved forward, hands swirling with Prana, the mana around him moving to his command.

The small wounds littering their bodies disappeared before his eyes. The blue-eyed teen watched as the younger student stopped before another student. He glanced at the injuries before sighing and then stood up, walking away to another student. Arashi narrowed his eyes and said, "Hikaru, won't you heal her?"

"It's useless." He replied coldly.

"What?!"

"She's too injured. I can't heal her injuries fully. She'll get injured again and die." He gave a short pause and then said, "Healing her is just a waste of time and ener-"

He was interrupted as Arashi grabbed him by his shirt, growling. "What did you just say?!"

"I said that healing these _fools_ would be a _waste_." His voice was cold and contained just a bit of rage in it.

"You!"

"What, Arashi?"

"Fools? They were your fellow students, damn it! They died and you-"

"They tried to escape, even after I told them not to. And those foolish actions led to their deaths. Their deaths didn't achieve anything. They didn't produce any good results. This will result in only panic and fear among the others. What would you call them? They are fools."

Arashi gazed at the teen before him in disappointment and let go.

"You've changed. The Narukami Hikaru I know wouldn't dismiss the deaths of innocents and call them fools."

Hikaru let out a hollow laugh as he said, "That Hikaru is dead. He died long ago."

 _After all, that Hikaru died the day my parents were killed._

"I wonder what Setsura or Sylvie would say about you. Or even your parents."

He didn't receive any answer as the lightning-user walked away. After a few steps, the younger teen stopped, looking over his shoulder.

His eyes were filled with resignation and regret.

"They would reject me and call me a monster too, I guess." _That is what I am, after all._ "A monster whose hands have been stained with blood. A monster who doesn't deserve to live."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Jin punched the wall in frustration, cratering it.

"This wasn't supposed to happen… who planted those bombs?"

He then remembered Warlock disappearing for a few hours after they had occupied the school.

"WARLOCK! YOU FOOL!" He shouted in anger. _That fanatic! He planted mines all around the entrance points._

He then gazed at the barrier that stood between the gate and the academy.

 _That barrier as well… it will collapse tomorrow. I need to finish this fight with Hikaru by then and make sure that he kills me, preferably in the sight of Helga Lindwall. That would help him in his trial as he killed the perpetrators and saved the hostages. That's all I can hope right now. And one of his friends can ask for his release after winning a Festa._

Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes, turning towards a wall.

"Come out."

The wall distorted and out of the distortion, stepped out two figures. Both of them wore cloaks which hid their features.

"What do you want, Illusion?"

"Nothing, Gravity. Master has ordered us to check up on you." The voice that spoke was the figure on the right, the voice coming out of a synthesiser.

"The plan is proceeding as planned. The target's skill and power level have exceeded expectations."

"What of the other 12?"

"All of them are dead. They were killed by the target."

"Even Warlock?!"

"Yes."

"You aren't hiding anything from us, are you, Gravity?" The other figure asked.

A heavy pressure started to settle over them as he questioned in a threatening voice, "You aren't doubting me, are you?"

"N-no, nothing of the sort."

"The boy was simply too powerful."

Internally, he breathed a sigh of relief. _These two came here when the students started to escape. That's good. They don't know about Warlock._

"Next time you doubt me, there won't be any corpse of you for the Master to find." The threat was made clear as the pressure started to crush them before it lifted.

"When will this be finished?"

"Tell the Master that tomorrow, the target will be subjugated and brought to him."

"Understood."

As the two left through the same distortion, he sagged into an empty chair. As he looked over at the items on the desk, he spotted the old portable student terminal.

"Ah, this… this thing…"

His eyes softened as he looked at it. Memories of days long gone, of carefree, happy times, a young woman who had a single dream, a girl who cared more than anyone else, and a young man with a single purpose.

 _No._ He shook his head. _I can't return to that life. I put everything past me when I chose to walk the path of blood._

He then sighed as he caught sight of the various photos stored on the terminal.

Two brothers… he flinched as he remembered the look of shock on his brother's face, his life being ripped away from him as he stabbed him with his cursed spear.

 _Shinichi… you were the only one who cared for me in that den of vipers. And yet I…_

He looked at his hands, half-expecting to see them drenched in blood.

He shook his head, turning to another picture.

There were four people, one young man and three young women. All of them wore the uniform of Seidoukan academy, their respective weapons held in their hands. _Rin, Setsuna, Yuka…_

He still remembered it as clearly as day. The sound of clashing blades, the cold ice surrounding them, four fighters fighting for their dreams… the sound of the badge breaking as a mechanical voice announced the victory of his opponents.

He smiled at the photo before sighing.

He turned to another photo, this one of two children, a boy with blue hair and a girl with black hair. They couldn't be older than 3. _Hikaru, Ayame…_

With a heavy sigh, he stood up. He remembered his wife's-Yuka's- last words.

"Yuka, I have to protect Ayame. But what about all the lives I have to take?" With a hollow laugh, he stood up.

The Gravitas Autem Magi narrowed his eyes as he heard the beeping of a terminal.

He looked at the contact and growled. _Why is_ that _man calling me now?!_ He answered the call, making it 'Sound Only'.

" _Father_ , what can I do for you?" He said, venom in his voice.

A raspy chuckle echoed in the room as the man on the other side talked. "Jin, how goes the mission?"

"There are no problems." He replied coldly.

"Good. I received your report. The deaths of the 12 are a minor inconvenience, but an inconvenience nonetheless. We will talk about this afterwards."

"Yes, father." He replied rigidly.

He then hung up, before taking his old terminal. He scrolled through the various contacts on the list. They were all the people he had left behind in his quest.

He stopped on one contact and his finger reached out for the 'Call' button, before stopping suddenly.

"I can't. I can't endanger her."

He then walked out the door, the cursed black spear resting against the table, humming ominously, yearning for blood.

The spear called out to him, trying to entice him into using it.

He ignored the bloodthirsty spear as best as he could.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

He swung the sword again, piercing the chest of one of the puppets that were surrounding

him. He ripped the sword out of the puppet's chest violently and swung it in an arc, bisecting 5 of his foes in a flash.

He growled.

 _Faster._

Another swing.

 _Faster._

A stab to the heart.

 _Faster!_

The lightning around him increased in intensity, his senses going on overload. He could see each and every weakness that the puppets had, hear each and every movement being made, could smell and taste the blood that had spilled from his body due to his overexertion, and could feel the very air touching his skin.

Yet, this wasn't enough. _He_ was faster.

Stronger.

Deadlier.

The white-haired boy snarled at the puppets, instinctively shooting off lightning bolts at the few that came at him from behind. He then fired off his Raikoho, the cannonball of lightning taking out a large group of the holographic puppets.

It still wasn't enough.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

The scythe spun as it took out a dozen puppets at once. Yet, the scythe wasn't satisfied. It demanded blood.

The black-haired teen wielding the double-bladed scythe stopped momentarily, panting for breath. He was burning through his Prana quickly. Yet, that was a minor inconvenience. He recovered quickly anyway.

 _I failed. Each and every student that died… I failed. I couldn't protect a single one of them._

He spun the scythe expertly, cutting straight through 6 puppets. The darkness covering him moved to his will, turning into blades and cutting through everything that was around him. He was fighting continuously for hours.

 _Sylvie must be scared._

But he couldn't stop, for everyone's sake. He couldn't let someone else bear his burden.

 _The burden of protecting everyone should be mine._

"I should have stopped them. As the Student Council President, I should have stopped them."

He flinched as he remembered the series of events that led to today's disaster.

 **Flashback**

"Stop. Where are you going?" Arashi asked a student, who was leading a group of about 70 or so other students out of the auditorium.

 _Munakata Kariya, younger brother of Munakata Sen, the previous Student Council President, the one I got thrown into jail._ His mind provided him the information on the one before him. _I can see why he doesn't like me._

"Are you an idiot?! We run, obviously. Now that the two monsters are not here, running is the only option."

He clenched his fist at the remark of 'monster'. _He is only bearing all that burden for your goddamned lives._

"Where will you run? Do you think that the Stjarnagarm are fools? There must be a barrier around the premises. Or we would already be rescued…" _I guess._ He added as an afterthought. _That guy is too strong. And he is Hikaru's uncle. He's gonna know each and every little detail about Hikaru's fighting style, since he taught him. That's what Sylvie told me anyway. If Helga Lindwall can't defeat him, then…_ He shuddered inwardly at that thought.

"Get out of my way, Kaito." Kariya growled.

"You'll get hurt." He tried to reason. "I don't care. I'm going out of this hellhole."

The Student Council President could do nothing but watch resignedly as many students ran out of the auditorium, heading straight for the entrance.

Then everything went to hell.

 **Flashback End**

He shook those memories away, continuing to train.

 _Tomorrow, we fight._

His movements were a blur as he continued to slash at his enemies.

 _There is only one enemy. So the logical conclusion is that he is maintaining the barrier through some unknown method._

He performed a horizontal slash, a blade of darkness shooting out towards a group of approaching puppets.

 _So if we take him out, or at the very least, tire him down, then we can buy some time for the Stjarnagarm to enter. But if we fail to do that…_ "...we die."

His thoughts went to the burdened white-haired teen. "What is he doing right now? Is he… he is suffering and I…" He remembered their last conversation and the eyes filled with regret.

"*Sigh* I need to apologise for everything after this."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"Onii-chan… Hikaru-kun…" Sylvia whispered to herself, thinking about two of the most important people in her life.

"Why did you have that look in your eyes, Hikaru-kun?" She had seen the resignation in his eyes. She was worried. What was he going to do?

Her eyes widened as he remembered the talk she had with him 3 days ago.

" _It's alright, Sylvie. I will protect you, no matter what. No matter what sacrifices I have to make, you will be safe. That's a promise of a lifetime."_

"No matter what…" Dread filled her as she tried to understand the meaning of his words. "No, Hikaru-kun, you will live, right? You will come back to us, right?"

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

The darkness threatened to overtake his mind. His rationality was slowly being lost. He stared at the Orga Lux in his hand, the scythe pulsing madly for blood.

"I can't let this go on. I need to defeat this Orga Lux and that man before I lose control of myself."

He propped himself against the wall, the blade of the Crescent Moon touching his hand, and closed his eyes, concentrating on the shadows in his mind.

When he opened his eyes again, he was in a land of shadows. Before him stood a figure who looked the same as him, down to the face and eyes. Yet, Arashi knew different. He held out a hand and ripped the illusion apart. As the illusion was ripped apart, stood before him another figure. It was similar to him, but there was malice rolling off him in waves. There were black tribal markings on his skin, madness in his eyes and a visible lust for blood. He felt the taint of the Crescent Moon wash over him, trying to twist his mind.

He flared his Prana, fighting the taint and the shadows.

"Crescent Moon, I'm here to make a contract with you." He spoke with an edge of steel in his voice. _I'm sorry, Setsura, Sylvie, Hikaru, Ursula-san._

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

It was raining. The clouds had blocked out the stars and the moon, a rain which never seemed to end pouring down on him, drenching him.

Under the dark sky, Jin walked through Seidoukan, reliving the life of a young boy, for whom not even the sky itself was a limit. That boy had dreams. Reaper had nothing of the sort. He had no dreams. He had only a single purpose- to protect the only light in his life, even if everyone else had to be dragged into the darkness with him.

The Reaper walked towards the entrance where the explosion occurred, surveying the site of destruction with a gaze filled with rage.

"Shinichi, Rin… your son is suffering because of me. You sacrificed yourselves to save him from me. And now, I am making him suffer so that I can protect my daughter. To protect one while killing another…" _Even with all of my power, I am still weak._

He laughed hollowly as he stared at the ominous spear in his hand.

"And you, Ifrit, through all of my battles, you were by my side. Today will be the last day I use you to kill. You will now serve him, be his blade that slaughters. I will liberate you, yet condemn you to enslavement. I will be condemning you to enslavement under someone who will save this world and everyone in it. You won't be used for that _thing's_ purposes anymore."

He looked at the sky. "The sun will rise in some time. As the sun rises, I will fall. And Hikaru, like the sun, you will rise.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

He walked towards the mansion, his control over his powers slowly slipping and the ground around him slowly forming craters with each step. As he reached the mansion, he walked straight towards the training room, from where he could sense Hikaru's Prana.

The door was blasted apart as he touched it. He walked in with heavy steps, the pressure radiating off him intensifying as he slipped into his battle mindset.

"Jin." Hikaru said, voice hollow and empty.

"Hikaru." Jin responded with the same blank tone he always used. _What happened to him?_

The teen stood still as his killing intent rose, a heavy pressure settling in the room. He ran towards the older man, sword swinging as it met the spear. Suddenly, he was pushed back by the force of gravity. The force of gravity between the boy and man was reversed, launching the boy back. The boy attacked again, arcs of lightning being launched towards the black-haired man, only to be repelled.

The white-haired boy grew increasingly frustrated as he continued to launch attack after attack, never giving in.

Suddenly, the older man disappeared. A slash, a spurt of blood through the air.

The teen jumped forward, turning around, as his foe appeared behind where he previously stood. The blade of the spear dripped with blood.

The man gazed with disappointment at the boy across him. "What did you learn in the 3 days, nephew? Nothing. You disappoi-"

He was interrupted by another flurry of attacks, each faster than the last. The teen continued his swings with his blade, Kanmuru active, amplifying his strength with his Prana.

"DIE!"

A sudden overhead strike. The blade passed the spear and struck at the man's neck. As it touched the man's neck, a small fire of hope was lit in the boy's eyes.

As he flew back, the fire was put out. Hikaru felt himself crash through walls, stopping as he hit a large tree.

 _Damn it._ He had observed it clearly. The moment the blade touched Jin's neck, he had been repelled. _The gravitational force between us was reversed and amplified. But still, I have a chance._

If he was able to strike him faster than Jin could manipulate gravity, then he would win. _I can do it. I will do it._ He glared as Jin approached him. _I will protect her, no matter what._

"Is this it? Is that the limit of your power? If this is how you plan to face me, you will die."

 _Die? It doesn't matter if I die here. As long as you are dead, I don't care what happens to me._ The sword in his hand hummed violently. _I don't care what I need to sacrifice anymore. My emotions, my body, hell, my soul itself!_

" **Take it all! I just want to kill this man before me, even if I die!"** The sword hummed as he felt his hesitation fade away. He felt the shackle holding him back disappear and the blade in his hands sparked with black lightning, the chaotic lightning shooting towards Jin, the lightning taking the form of a beast.

The lightning dissipated as the force around Jin acted again, taking the form of a spiralling shield. The lightning assaulted him, trying to break through the shield, for a total of 10 minutes. There were times where the shield came close to breaking through, only for the hole to be closed up. The white-haired teen grew increasingly frustrated with each failed attempt of breaking through and dashed forward, sword swinging as soon as he reached the shield. The blade cut through the shield, drawing blood for the first time.

The Raijin flew back again, crashing through a few trees before coming to a stop. He grunted as he plopped himself back up, staggering slightly before running towards Jin. The sword in his hands disappeared and the lightning around him intensified. Just as he reached Jin, he disappeared from view. The distinctive crackling of lightning behind him made him raise of shield of Prana, stopping the blade in its tracks.

The teen disappeared again, striking from the left. At the same time, arcs of lightning shot out at Jin from the front.

"You underestimate me, Hikaru."

Suddenly, a force far greater than the one he had previously experienced hit him. Pain wracked his body as he momentarily lost consciousness. As he opened his eyes, he gasped.

"What the…" He trailed off in shock. He was thrown back all the way to the college building. As he watched, his house crumbled and crashed on itself. The buildings he had crashed through all crumbled, while Jin walked towards him slowly. The pressure he was feeling grew slowly. He could feel in increasing, increasing till it started to crush him.

His bones rattled and eventually, he fell to his knees, unable to stand up against that force. "Is that it, Hikaru? If this is your strength, you can't kill me." _I need to push him. Even if he loses a part of himself, he can regain it. If I destroy the Narukami while he deals the last blow, he will win._ His eyes narrowed as he took in the state of the surroundings. _The whole place is getting torn down. But… that's just collateral damage. If I make him strong enough to defeat him, then I can leave it to Taka. Until Hikaru finds her, Taka will take care of her._

Suddenly, he held up his right arm, palm pointed outwards. Feathers of darkness all stopped a few feet before him, dissipating a few moments after. He clicked his tongue as Arashi came into view.

"Another interloper…" _Damn! Why the hell did the wielder of Crescent Moon have to come now?! I need to take him out of the fight! Crescent Moon is too dangerous for my plan! I need to destroy the Crescent Moon after the Narukami._

With that thought, he moved to attack. The black-haired student was pulled forward and he threw his spear. The spear disappeared from view as Jin's ability acted on it, propelling it forward at a speed none were able to follow. The spear pierced Arashi's gut, making him cough up blood… is what should have happened.

Shadows. Darkness. The whole path between Jin and Arashi was covered in darkness. The Ifrit was held in place by shadows. The shadowy threads struggled to hold the spear in place as Ifrit tried to reach its prey. Standing at the origin of these threads, Arashi glanced at Hikaru before swinging his scythe. The shadows moved with the blade, cloaking the older teen in darkness as he disappeared. At the same time, blades of shadows attacked Jin from all directions. He felt a sudden slash at his back, drawing a small amount of blood, before he pushed his attacker back with his ability.

Arashi landed next to Hikaru, his shadows moving with him. "Hikaru, get up."

"Run." Hikaru's voice was low, almost a whisper, but he heard it nonetheless.

"What?"

"Run, Arashi. I'll hold him off. Take the others and escape. All the bombs should be destroyed by now."

"What the hell are you saying?! We ca-"

"Just to be safe though, ask Nestor to create a platform to walk."

 _The hell? He's not listening to me._

"Look, Hikaru. We can fight. We can win."

"No! We can't! He's too strong! Run, Arashi! I'll stop him somehow!"

Hikaru fired off another bolt of lightning at Jin, who simply stood there, not making any move. A shield sprung up before him, blocking the lightning.

"We can." Arashi said calmly as he helped Hikaru up and said, "Concentrate your attack. Make it as strong as you can. I'll make an opening for you."

Without waiting for a response, Arashi disappeared from view, appearing behind Jin, already going through the motions of swinging his scythe. Jin turned around, bringing his spear up to block the attack. The terrorist observed the shadows on the blades of the Crescent Moon, or rather, the weapon that was once known as the Crescent Moon, increasing the scythe's reach and making it deadlier.

Suddenly, blades of pure darkness struck Jin from the back. However, as soon as they touched him, they were burned by a blue fire. The same fire reached out to devour Arashi. As the Datenshi jumped back, he disappeared into a shadow. He appeared behind Jin, slashing at his back, before disappearing again. The next strike came from his right. As the scythe closed in, it was stopped a few inches short of his skin. Arashi tried to move, only for Jin's ability to hold him in place. Countless shadows appeared around Arashi, wrapping around him and trying to pull him back, only to fail.

A lightning spear hit the spiralling shield surrounding Jin, grinding against it. The force holding Arashi in place weakened, allowing the shadows to pull him back to safety, as the shield's power decreased. Both the students observed as a small sphere formed where the spear was piercing the shield. The sphere increased in size before touching the spear. The sphere suddenly collapsed onto itself, the lightning spear disappearing an instant later.

"W-what happened?" Hikaru muttered, shock clear on his face.

"A simple application of my abilities, a 'bomb' made of gravitons with the property of increasing gravity to collapse it on itself. Still, it seems your attack served its purpose."

Hikaru stood up, sword gripped tightly. The lightning surrounding his body intensified as his Kanmuru increased in output, making his perception increase, while his reflexes were quickened to inhuman levels. His eyes took in the structure of the shield as he fired off another spear of lightning. As he concentrated on that single spot, he frowned. His eyes widened as he found what he was looking for.

 _There!_

Forming behind the shield, safe and untouched, was a slowly growing sphere. To be accurate, he couldn't see it, but the sphere-shaped distortion in the air. The distortion grew in size before slowly gaining color as it absorbed the light and reflected a part of it.

He waited as the sphere expanded, touching the shield's walls. The shield disappeared at that point, when the sphere touched the point of the lightning spear. It was almost too fast. He saw as the spear collapsed on itself at the tip, at the point where the sphere had touched his attack.

 _The gravity at the point where it touches the spear increases. This leads to the object collapsing in on itself. The sphere serves a secondary purpose of containing the energy that's released from the process._

He saw Arashi jump back a few feet, creating some distance between himself and Jin, hoping it would give him some time. He observed Arashi as the black-haired student started to control the shadows in the area, bringing them together. The shadows congregated and started to take form. They grew to a figure of 2 meters, holding a huge blade. The figure walked forward, swinging its blade at Jin. The leader of Void Order stood there, his shield up, spinning rapidly.

The Spear of Cursed Flames flew to his hand and he swung, blocking the blade. He then thrust the spear into the figure, flames dancing on the tip of the blade. The flames burned away the shadows.

"The Cursed Spear, Ifrit, summons cursed flames that can burn away everything they touch. Even shadows cannot escape from these flames."

The shadows started to recede away from the fire, the mystical blue fire illuminating the area and burning away the shadows.

"Tch. Esoteric fire which can burn something like shadows, is that it? Should have known that an Orga Lux can't be something as simple as a flaming spear." Arashi muttered as he created wings on his back. He flew into the air, disappearing from view. Both of the fighters on the ground could feel the shadows gathering in the air, the large amount of Prana being gathered into the air.

The light coming from the stars and the artificial lights started to disappear. No, it was being blocked by the darkness that Arashi was creating, blanketing the whole area in darkness. Hikaru closed his eyes, enhancing his sense of hearing and touch. He could feel the heat Jin's spear exuded, the pressure pressing down on him. He also felt the cold nothingness that the artificial darkness exuded. He felt the darkness above him compressing to a tight ball, before being launched at Jin.

"Kurayami no Judan!" Arashi's voice echoed in his ears. He felt a wave of coldness wash over him as the darkness from Arashi's attack exploded against the wave of flames that erupted between Jin and Arashi. At the same time, the shadows around him started to disappear as they were slowly absorbed by the Datenshi flying above.

The darkness invaded his mind, clouding it, creating doubt in his mind.

Similarly, Jin felt the darkness reach into the corners of his mind, consuming the darkness that inhabited his mind. He felt everything start to disappear, yet he held on. He ground himself to a single purpose, using his ability on his own soul.

 _No matter what, I'll have to defeat that man. Even if I die now, if I can make Hikaru grow stronger, then it serves my purpose. And for that, I can't lose now!_

Suddenly, the gravity around him intensified, pushing everything around him back. The ground, the lights, the shadows, the buildings, everything around him was crushed. The two students fighting him were flung far away from the force.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

The auditorium shook. Most of the students quivered in fear as the auditorium shook. Only the high school students, rather, the senior Page One students were the only ones who were able to keep their fear in check, remaining calm.

"You, check the barrier." Nestor ordered calmly, pointing towards a seemingly random student, who, in reality, was a member of the Kageboshi.

"Understood." The student disappeared, heading towards the entrance.

"Feardorcha, you understand what Arashi ordered, right?"

"Yeah." The chestnut-haired student replied. "Once the barrier is down, evacuate the students while the Stjarnagarm enters the school. Find the person with the most authority and report the enemy's abilities."

"To remove the possibilities of any other hidden traps, I will create a platform of ice for everyone to walk on. Once the platform is fully created, we will have to lead the students out. And then…" He looked towards where he could feel the power radiating, where the battle of death was going on.

"We can all go back."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"Such monstrous power… just how strong is Hikaru's uncle anyway?" Arashi wondered out loud, getting up with a grunt.

He looked around, eyes widening as he took in his surroundings.

"The port area? That bastard flung me this far… just how strong is he?"

"19 years ago, I won the 15th Lindwurm."

The voice was cold and emotionless, yet it contained a hint of nostalgia. Jin walked towards him, dragging the spear against the ground, creating sparks as he walked. The ground under him cracked with each step he took from his power.

"The 15th Lindwurm?" His eyes widened as he remembered that person. "Wait. You… you are the student known as the-"

"Tatsuya Jin, the Gravitas Autem Magi, also known as 'The Strongest Dante'." Jin completed for him, the cursed spear in his right hand. "And you, foolish boy. Making a contract with Crescent Moon of all things… do you have a death wish or something, boy?"

"You… were you really going to kill us if Hikaru didn't want to fight?"

"There was no question of not fighting. He had no choice."

"You… you bastard! He suffered because of you!"

Jin aimed his spear at Arashi, a his eyes cold and rigid. Arashi gulped as he prepared to throw his scythe.

 _Shit, shit, shit… this guy… now I can understand why Hikaru was thrown around like that… this guy is said to be equal to that second Banyuu Tenra herself!_

Arashi immediately threw his scythe, aiming at a far away wall. At the same time, Jin threw his spear; time seemed to slow down as the spear neared him. At the same time, the scythe struck the wall, creating a shadow on the wall.

Arashi disappeared in an instant, travelling through the shadows. He reappeared below the scythe, appearing from the shadow it cast on the wall. He grabbed the scythe and disappeared immediately, sprouting wings and flying away.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

" _Hikaru! Hikaru, wake up!"_

 _Arashi?_

" _Hikaru, wake up, dammit!"_

His eyes shot open immediately as he tried to sit up.

"Hikaru, stop." Arashi's voice reached his ears as he helped him up. The two students stood at the edge of a deep and wide crater.

"*cough*What happened?" Hikaru asked, coughing blood. "Are you alright, Hikaru?" Arashi asked, concerned at the blood.

"That doesn't matter. What happened?"

"He pushed us away, far away. I was flung to the port area. You are where your house is supposed to be. Everything between the college building and your house was crushed completely." Hikaru looked around at the destruction with wide eyes before glancing behind. The house he lived in was partially destroyed, the area where the living room and the kitchen were situated being the only thing undamaged, including the garden behind. "H-he, he did all this?"

"Yeah. I was flung to the port area. I found where they came from. There were a few submarines. Large. As far as I know, there weren't any reports of any submarines."

"Doesn't matter." Hikaru said as he walked towards the direction of the port area. His mind was clear again, traces of doubt and hesitation long gone. As he continued to walk, strength welled up inside him, yet he felt his soul being ripped apart piece-by-piece. Lightning started to run wild as he let his power run wild, control over both his emotions and power long gone.

He disappeared in a blitz, appearing at the entrance to the port area.

"So you came back, Hikaru."

"I will kill you, Jin. No matter what, you will die."

"You really think you can fight me and come out alive, come out victorious?"

His only answer was a clash of blades as the spear met the sword.

 _Come out alive? Come out victorious? I don't care about any of that. I promised her that I will protect her. Even if I die, I'll protect her._

The lightning coating his blade started to cut into the spear's blade, bringing determination to his eyes.

"Ifrit was inferior compared to the Narukami." Jin said coolly, the sword cutting through the blade of the spear. "And your skill with this sword is better than my skill with the spear."

The sword was halfway through the haft, the lightning around the sword's blade cutting through the Orga Lux.

As the blade reached Jin's hand, however, it met opposition. A force was repelling the blade. Hikaru tried to cut through the field itself, but he simply didn't have enough power.

"You underestimate me, Hikaru." He said calmly as he threw the spear away and gripped Hikaru's throat tightly, suffocating him.

The boy tried to loosen the older man's grip on his neck, clawing at his wrist, before giving up. He tried to launch another bolt of lightning from his hand, but the attack was repelled. Suddenly, he felt darkness start to cloud his mind and the same darkness was nearing the two of them.

 _Arashi._

As the darkness reached him, he felt it get repelled again. _He's shielding me?_ He looked at Jin before closing his eyes, Jin's grip loosening slightly, and sent a pulse of Prana outward. He felt the protective field around the both of them.

 _About 3 meters in diameter with him as the center. I need to attack such that the technique is inside I need to skewer his heart so Lanza is the only attack that can be sure to hit. And to hit his heart, I need to pierce my…_ He glanced down subtly while Jin was occupied with fending off Arashi's continuous stream of attacks. _I need to pierce my right lung._

With that thought, he started to concentrate his Prana behind his back, right where his lung was. He did it as discreetly as possible, making sure that Jin wasn't tipped off. As a small magic circle appeared over his body, visible only to Arashi, his eyes gained a gleam of something in it. It was neither hope nor determination.

 **Arashi's POV**

I arrived at the battlefield in a rush, arriving to find the sight of my junior being held by his throat, being suffocated slowly.

A low growl rose from my throat as streams of darkness assaulted the man on my command.

 _Damn it!_ I growled as the damned force-field repelled my attacks again. _Just how the hell am I supposed to cut through that? Maybe…_ He started to charge his scythe with energy, making the blades sharper. Darkness coated the blades, spinning wildly. _I'll take a leaf out of your book, Hikaru._

 _/_

" _High frequency oscillating blades have high cutting power. That's what I do. I cloak the blade in lightning, which oscillates with a high frequency. It's basically a chainsaw."_

 _/_

 _Collect the energy on the blade. Sharpen it as much as possible. Oscillate the particles with a high frequency._ I mentally went over the steps, trying to replicate Hikaru's technique as fast as possible.

A small yellow glow was the only thing that made me hesitate momentarily before dismissing it. _Hikaru needs my help right now. If I distract that bastard enough, Hikaru can escape._

As he started to run towards the two of them, his eyes widened. Forming out of the small magic circle was a lance. A spear of lightning, poised to pierce through the white-haired teen's body.

 _No. He won't impale himself on his own technique, right? He'll just use it as a distraction._

As he continued to run, he caught sight of Jin's face, more specifically, his eyes. His blue eyes were filled with regret and despair.

Suddenly, the lance of lightning shot forward.

It pierced through the body of its creator, straight through the right lung, and pierced the body of the gravity user. It pierced through his left lung, piercing through a few ribs. As it reached the heart, it was suddenly repelled.

"NO!" I screamed as I ran forward, pushing my body to my limits as the gravity user dropped the boy in his grip to the ground.

Hikaru glared at the man before him, trying to get up. He was coughing blood continuously, the wound in his lung not being healed easily.

 **Normal POV**

Hikaru coughed blood as he glared at the man before him. _Dammit! DAMMIT! He dodged. I didn't even expect him to have a protective field around his own heart! His body shouldn't even function like that!_

He could feel his Orga Lux try to stitch the wound closed. He felt the dragon in the back of his mind, screaming, as it tried to take over his mind. He could hear Arashi's scream as his own attack pierced his body. _I don't care what injuries I sustain. I don't deserve to live anyway._ He tried to stand up, gritting his teeth through the pain. The gravity around him intensified. He couldn't stand up, forced to kneel from the pressure on him.

Meanwhile, Jin himself was facing a few problems. He struggled to breathe, the air mixing with his bloodstream. He could also guess that he was bleeding horribly. The pierced rib would have also led to bone marrow entering his bloodstream. _A piercing technique of such power… he has surpassed you, Rin. But this suicidal tendency…_

He growled as he blocked another stream of darkness, flinging Arashi back. _Damn, I don't have much longer._ He held his hand out towards Arashi. With a pull on his Prana reserves, he felt the mana around them move. Arashi was suddenly dragged towards him, the black-haired student's eyes widening in surprise. Soon, determination and rage overtook the surprise as he swung the double-bladed scythe as soon as he was in range. The scythe was repelled, like all the times before it.

 _I may have to use Kurohitsugi to destroy those Orga Luxs. I certainly have the reserves, but can my body hold?_

He felt a rise in Prana behind him, the mana around him rapidly moving, turning into lightning. Soon, he became trapped in a tornado of lightning. Darkness mixed in soon enough, turning the lightning pitch-black. He could feel his body being shocked by the high-voltage lightning. And with his body fully drenched, it became a _very_ good conductor. He could feel the electricity trying to travel to his heart, only to be repelled by his shield. _Looks like I have to use Kurohitsugi after all._ His Prana rose around him, the mana around him starting to change. The gravity around him intensified. Boxes of blackish-purple energy started to form around the area, slowly descending, covering the whole area in a box. The gravity inside the box was extreme. The tornado surrounding him dissipated from the immense gravity acting on it. The people inside the box were feeling the full effects of his strongest technique.

Arashi and Hikaru were flat on the ground, and were getting pressed into the ground, the gravity increasing with each passing second. Arashi screamed in pain as the gravity pressed down on him. He could feel the pain increasing with each second, growing unbearable as time passed.

He saw Hikaru, right beside Jin. His eyes widened at the visible distortion around Jin. The gravity was the highest around Jin. The black-haired man was immune to his own technique, and watched, apathy in his gaze, as his nephew suffered in pain right next to him. The white-haired boy couldn't even let out a scream. It was impossible to move and trying to move hurt, it hurt too much. Even the very ground was being crushed from the gravity that Jin's technique created.

 _I can't keep this up for long. Hikaru, how long will it take for you to surpass me? How long will it take for you to surpass yourself? Destroy your shackles!_

He felt a rise in power, but not from where he wanted. Arashi stood up again. _Damn you, Datenshi! Crescent Moon! How far will you manipulate your wielder?!_

 **Arashi's POV**

I felt power run through my body, my Prana rising again. I remembered the contract I made with Crescent Moon, the contract that bound our souls together, bound our fates together.

 _/_

" _Crescent Moon, I'm here to make a contract with you."_

" _ **Boy, what can you offer me? I have no interest in a contract where I get nothing."**_

" _The man who is currently threatening the safety of everyone. I'll kill him with your power. You will get a good fight against a strong opponent, which is what you want."_

" _ **HAHAHAHA… you will die as well, foolish wielder. But still, so intriguing. The fact that you would sacrifice your life for such weaklings is… amusing."**_

" _You wouldn't understand."_

 _/_

The conversation had ended at that point, the Crescent Moon's manifestation stabbing me with a blade of darkness. I could still feel the dull throbbing in my heart. The price that I paid for power, my own life. This power is something I need to use before my body gives up. _I need to save Hikaru before I die._

I forced my body to move, the darkness helping my movements and negating the gravity acting on me. I stood up, the darkness forming into the familiar shape of the Crescent Moon. The man Hikaru called Jin looked over at me, before walking towards me. I felt the resistance the darkness had against the gravity decrease as the man walked towards me.

 _So the closer he is, the more devastating the effect gravity has on the area._ I could feel the cracks in the ground I stood on, growing as the man walked.

A spear started to form in his hands. I couldn't see the sphere, but rather the distortion in the space that was caused by the spear. A technique powerful enough to create distortions in space. He had used a lot of power for that technique and more than enough time if I could stand up and use my darkness to bring myself up.

 _That thing is what stopped all of Hikaru's attacks. If I remember correctly, anything that touches it will collapse on itself. Need to stay away from that._

As Jin neared, my wings formed again, barely keeping me off the ground. Such was the effect of the intense gravity on me. Previously, I could have flown as high as I wanted, as long as I had Prana to fuel this technique. But now, I couldn't even fly a few inches off the ground. _Damn. My mobility's shot to hell. And I can't touch that spear. Fuck! This is bad! Can Helga Lindwall even hurt this damned monster?!_

I felt the ground beneath me again. The effect of the gravity on me had intensified. _Fuck!_ I took a leaf out of Hikaru's book again, creating a spear of darkness.

 _/_

" _Usually, a spear made of lightning won't be effective. That's why you need to change it."_

" _Change how?" "I use rotations. Multiple discrete counter rotations."_

 _A small laugh from the side. "What, Kaichou? Trying to figure out otouto's techniques?"_

" _Arashi is stupid, onee-chan. He won't understand anyway." Hikaru answered in a teasing tone to Setsura's question, dodging a light punch from Arashi by ducking._

" _Anyway, I use multiple elements, or multiple variables if you will. Each variable corresponds to a rotation. By using multiple variables with multiple discrete counter rotations, I can increase the piercing and explosive power."_

" _Though otouto doesn't use the explosive part much though." Setsura remarked from the side, working on her pile of paperwork at the comfortable couch._

" _I don't use it much because there's no reason to. I don't use that technique unless absolutely necessary. And it takes lots of concentration and quite a bit of my Prana. Obviously I won't use it much. And you remember the last time I used it, you were unc-"_

" _Geez, one injury and I turn into a helpless girl?"_

" _You were unconscious for the better part of a week! And you couldn't walk properly without help for another week. I'm justified in feeling that way."_

" _Stop." Arashi said, putting a hand between them. "You were saying?"_

" _Right. By using multiple variables, I can use multiple discrete counter rotations, which increase the piercing power. And by using a bit more of my Prana to stabilise the spear properly, I can contain the power and increase the piercing power by a factor of half at the minimum."_

" _Uh huh. And what's the best way to go about this?"_

" _My variant is 4 rotations. But that's only possible right now because I know the exact process and replicate it with Kanmuru. Or else the processing of information is hard. I'd recommend 2 rotations to begin with. And that's when you have more than half of your Prana, 75% to be safe."_

" _ARGHHH! Otouto, get over here and help me with this pile." Setsura shouted in frustration._

" _Coming." Hikaru said with a sigh, getting up and walking over to the couch. "If you ever want to experiment and need help, I'll help whenever I can."_

 _/_

I started to concentrate my Prana, the mana in the air moving to my will. _Damn. I never actually practised with this even though I said I would. What have I been doing all this time?_

I put his my forward, the darkness coalescing in my hand. The shadows meanwhile continuously attacked Jin, trying to keep him back.

 _Use multiple counter rotations. And use Prana to stabilise it so that it won't explode in my face._ I tried to manipulate the darkness in the spear to rotate in different directions. It was hard, _very_ hard. _The hell?! And he does this as if it's nothing!_ I knew that it was hard, but this… this was too complicated. And _that man_ was walking, ever so slowly, as if our efforts amounted to nothing.

" _ **You know, it's true. Only Narukami's vessel managed to wound this man before you. And this man is not even using Ifrit. Your efforts didn't amount to much."**_

Crescent Moon's voice was mocking, yet there was apprehension in its words.

" _You shut up!"_

Wait. The words of my Orga Lux rung in my head. This guy isn't using his Orga Lux, Ifrit or whatever. That meant… "You are holding back." Trying to speak hurt, but I managed to get out those words out of my mouth.

"Crescent Moon… one of the most powerful Orga Luxs, only when the wielder is able to understand its abilities and use it properly." He spoke coldly. "Truly an infuriating opponent. Yet, before my ability, it will be crushed like everything else."

 _Yeah, yeah, keep talking, bastard._

I managed to stabilise the spear, somewhat. "Interesting. A technique similar to Hikaru's own. Yet I sense greater power in it."

I threw it, adding whatever Prana I could to my arm to reinforce my strength and throw it with every ounce of my strength.

The man didn't bother to bring up his shield, instead bringing his left arm forward. The spear met his open palm. There was some resistance. Something was in his hand.

 _Wait. He said something about gravitons. He might be using these gravitons to create a shield, much like that spear in his hand._ Now that I observed closely, there was a slight distortion in the air before that man's hand. _That distortion. He is using that distortion as a shield. A fucking distortion in space! Just what the hell is this monster!_

All my hopes were dashed as the spear was stopped, before it turned. It was sent upwards, where it dispersed.

I gasped. _No. My last technique._

I stared at the impending doom as it approached, the monster in human skin. That was what it could be. A monster in human skin. There was no way that a Genestellar, no matter how powerful, could be powerful enough to create distortions in space anytime he wanted. This man before be was a monster.

"I am a monster, Student Council President. I can no longer be human. When I received this ability, I had already set foot on the path of the demon. Now, this power… this power is the pinnacle of strength that a monster can achieve. You cannot hope to beat this power."

As he talked, the spear, rather the distortion around his spear started to disappear. The particles coalesced into something. It was a spear, but yet it couldn't be.

"This, boy, is the true pinnacle of gravity manipulation. Control of the fundamental force of gravity itself. It would take me nothing but a simple thought to separate every part of your body from each other."

 _Yet he didn't. Why is he waiting?_

His ability revolved around gravity. That was Hikaru's theory. He should be able to manipulate gravity. That is all.

"I reached the pinnacle and then surpassed that pinnacle itself. Not even the sky will be the limit for me." Jin said, walking forward calmly. The gravity intensified with each passing second.

 _Pinnacle of gravity manipulation? He manipulated the basic properties of these gravitons and compressed them into a spear. He also removed that distortion, so this spear is different from the previous one._

I fell to my knees. There was nothing I could do. Even with my life as the price, even with this power I received, I couldn't kill this monster before me, couldn't protect anyone.

I didn't have anything left anymore. My potentially strongest technique I could use was stopped easily. Each and every single technique that I used, honed over the years, was useless. Even Crescent Moon had fallen silent, knowing of its imminent demise. There was nothing left. The Crescent Moon couldn't give me any more power, the mana in its Urm Manadyte exhausted. And my Prana levels were at a record low, only enough to manipulate the darkness which was already present, though that was useless right now. I decided to make a move on a whim. _Destroy this box. I'll try to destroy this box with what I have left. I can't do much anyway._

As I focused on the mass of darkness above us, it shot towards the top of the box. I could feel it break through and a small smile came to my face as death approached.

1 minute. Exactly 60 seconds had passed between the manifestation of this box and my approaching death.

The man thrust his spear right through my heart.

 **Normal POV**

 **1 minute earlier**

Hikaru could feel it, the pain. The pain, as his body was ripped apart by Jin's technique, meanwhile, his soul was being ripped apart by the Narukami.

He could feel the Narukami heal him again, stitching his wounds together. His lung and ribs started to heal, slowly.

He couldn't move, and could only gaze at the source of the sudden power he felt.

 _Arashi._ The Datenshi stood up, with great effort.

He watched with growing despair as all of Arashi's attacks were stopped. Even Arashi's improvised version of his own technique was deflected.

He could move now. The gravity pushing him down had lessened. His lung had almost healed. Yet, he would be too slow.

He struggled, struggled against the force that pushed him down. His eyes were trained on the two black-haired men before him, one his friend, the other the man he had sworn to kill.

Arashi managed to form a spear and threw it at Jin. Yet, the white-haired student knew that it was futile. The distortion that formed before Jin's hand stopped the spear in its tracks before it was deflected upwards, where it dispersed into darkness.

He knew that he had to move now.

 _Move._

The spear forming in Jin's hand was visible to him. He had to move, had to stop him.

 _Move._

The spear was moving forward. At the same time, he felt himself stand, and his body move faster than it ever had. He felt the effect of gravity on him practically disappear, as if it had never existed. He stopped before Arashi, standing in the way of the spear. He partially faced Jin, and forced a smile onto his face, as his heart was pierced by Jin. He looked as Jin's face changed from its cold facade to surprise then to shock and finally settled on horror. He smirked weakly, forcing his body to spin on one leg, the other outstretched to kick the black-haired terrorist. His kick connected, his vast amounts of Prana enhancing it, sending the man flying, the man not able to block the kick due to his shock and horror.

Hikaru fell to his knees, where he was caught by Arashi, who had snapped out of his shock.

"Hikaru! Hikaru!" Arashi exclaimed in worry, as the spear dissipated, leaving a gaping hole in his chest. _Damn it! Why the hell did you have to take the attack?! I am just dead weight anyway. I can no longer do anything anyway._

He looked down at the white-haired student who was at the verge of death, yet, he knew that the younger student's Orga Lux could heal him and was doing it. But it was slow, too slow.

His eyes widened as he looked at his own hands and then at the electricity was slowly dissipating across Hikaru's body. _Prana… he doesn't have enough Prana to fully heal all of his wounds. What the hell can be done to-_ He interrupted that train of thought as he saw the boy gasp with pain, his heart healed enough that he wouldn't die.

 _/_

" _Say, Narukami, what's the price of your Orga Lux?"_

" _Hai?"_

" _Your Orga Lux. The price for using it. Rin didn't tell me what it is."_

" _That's the thing, Kyouko-sensei. The price of Narukami is different for each wielder."_

" _Different? That's the first time I've heard of an Orga Lux like that." Arashi wondered._

" _Mine is, in exchange for a temporary power boost-"_

" _Like that lightning beast armor?!"_

" _Yes. For a temporary power boost… kill something I hold dear."_

 _/_

As he looked at the sword in Hikaru's hands, he recalled that particular conversation. _I didn't even ask him if he was alright after that. I was so insensitive, huh? Even though I tried to protect everyone, I didn't do anything for the one who was protecting all of us._

"Kill something you hold dear?"

He started to get up, seeing Jin walking towards them again. _Now I understand. You, even if you are be his uncle, you must die. And he is willing to die if it means he can kill you. If I am going to die, then…_ Hikaru had opened his eyes by now, struggling to stand up, suffering from the outage of his Prana. His heart had healed fully, and most of his injuries were healed. He would live for now, until help came. He looked up as he felt his right hand, which was holding the Narukami, being lifted up, only to see Arashi position the blade, pointing it towards his stomach. "A-A-Arashi?" Hikaru asked in between coughs of blood.

"Sorry, Hikaru. You were suffering so much. I thought that I could see it. I thought that you were dealing with your suffering, that you were alright. And all this time, I couldn't see it. No one could see it. And you suffered through it, for our sakes, all alone. Sacrificing a part of you with each fight, ripping yourself apart as you fought to protect us."

He paused, taking in a breath, before stabbing himself.

The sword went straight through his stomach, sticking out of the other side. He felt pain. His nerves felt like they were on fire. He gasped in pain as he fell to the floor.

"Fuck… *cough* Hikaru, you always felt this pain and you just brushed it off. You withstood this pain, right? You withstood pain greater than this, and you bore that burden all alone… you are strong, stronger than me."

Hikaru gasped, trying to kneel over him, so that he could try and heal Arashi's wounds.

"Don't. I am dying anyway. Crescent Moon, I made a contract with it for power. I will die now anyway. Your Orga Lux, its price is *cough* sacrifice, right?"

"Arashi, what are you saying?"

"I'm choosing this. I'm going to become a sacrifice instead of you. You were planning to kill yourself, right? I should have known it. When they died, your voice was different. You… you were planning to die fighting, right? Kill that bastard and then kill yourself. I *cough* should have stopped you. But I didn't. Once this is over, I hope you can forgive me for my stupidity."

"What are you saying, Arashi?! What about Sylvie?! What about Setsura-nee?! Nestor, Feardorcha, everyone?! What about them?!"

"I… I should apologise to you. I am burdening you again. I have a few last selfish requests. First, please protect Sylvie in my place. Find Ursula-san and bring her back to Sylvie. Second, win the Phoenix and prove your innocence, prove everyone wrong. Third, could you tell Setsura that I love her? And also tell her that I'm sorry for going off and dying like this. Fourth, I want to entrust my dream to you. A world where Genestellar and humans are equal, a world where Genestella are accepted, a world where no one has to suffer because of how they were born, I wanted to see that world. Can you make that world happen? Fifth, Seidoukan, please protect my Seidoukan. I don't want to see this place which has many memories be destroyed. And finally, be happy. Don't blame yourself for my death, this is my choice."

"No. What are you talking about?! Create that world yourself! Confess to her yourself, dammit! And protect your sister yourself! She's your sister, not mine! You are supposed to protect her!"

"Hah, I really messed up. Now you are supposed to protect her. And you are supposed to be strong. You are the Rank 1. No, that isn't right. You are the one who will surpass everyone, Hikaru. Being anything less than that is forbidden."

"I'm too weak, dammit! I can't protect anyone!"

"Being anything less than that is forbidden. I am placing a burden on you. But I know that you will bear this. You will surpass all your limits and become stronger. Because you are Narukami Hikaru, the Raijin, the Rank#0 of Seidoukan Academy. And you are the strongest person I know."

Arashi then looked weakly at Hikaru. "I'm sorry…" He trailed off, his eyes losing the light.

As the sun rose, as the new day began, a life ended.

Hikaru looked at Arashi as he closed his eyes, staring blankly at his body.

His mind finally came to terms with the reality as Jin's voice floated into his ears. "So, he died."

A lone tear escaped his eye as he looked at Arashi.

 _Arashi is dead. He is dead. Dead. Dead. Dead! Dead! DEAD!_ _ **DEAD!**_

Pain.

Rage.

As he turned around, Arashi's body was soon surrounded by a cage of lightning, protecting him from the destruction that took place.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

He was slowly sinking, sinking in the darkness of his own mind.

 _Arashi is dead._

He sunk further down, chains holding him down.

 _I killed Arashi._

 _Because of my own weakness, Arashi had to die._

He closed his eyes as he sank, trapping himself in his own darkness.

 _Protect this place? Protect everyone? Protect the world?_

These questions echoed in his mind until they were silenced by a cold voice.

As he opened his eyes, one of them was beginning to turn a bloody crimson.

 _This world can destroy itself. I don't care anymore._

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

He looked at Jin, one of his eyes turning partially red.

Jin took an involuntary step back in fear as those fearsome eyes gazed at him.

Suddenly, a lance pierced through his body. _What?_

The lance was savagely ripped out as he was punched in the chest, throwing him a large distance away. He felt his chest cavity collapse, his ribs getting shattered.

He coughed blood, flooding his body with Prana to reinforce it. In a second, he stopped, floating above the crater.

 _He… how did he become so strong?_ His eyes widened as he recalled the single red eye of the white-haired teen. _Narukami… he used that Orga Lux! That boy… that foolish boy!_

He saw as an uncountable number of lightning spears rained down on him. He swept his arm forward and a spiralling shield appeared before him, blocking a few spears. His eyes widened as a few spears pierced the shield. He pushed himself back, flying to the edge of the crater.

A crash before him alerted Jin to the fact that his nephew had landed before him.

Power. He felt power rolling of his nephew in waves. The scent of ozone overwhelmed him, the killing intent crushed him.

 _To think that he could release this much power and killing intent if someone close to him was hurt… Hikaru, what will happen should you lose everyone you care about?_

Jin blocked a punch from Hikaru, his arms crossed. He winced in pain at the hit. He had felt it to his bones. His bones had fractured. He pushed through the pain to grab his nephew, only to be shocked. The lightning shooting off the student traveled through him, thoroughly shocking him.

" **Die!"**

His voice as more of an animalistic growl than human. **"DIE!"**

Lightning continued to attack him in various forms. Lightning bolts from above, spears of lightning from the sides and back, and continuous lightning-enhanced punches from the front. He put up his shield on all sides, yet the shield was slowly being damaged by the endless attacks.

" **DIEEEEE!"**

A single punch broke through the shield, lightning crackling around the arm as it destroyed the shield from within.

"ARGH!" Jin screamed as many spears pierced his body, the current passing through him.

He pushed them out of his body before pointing his palm at Hikaru. The white-haired student was flung back. He roared in anger. There was nothing human in it. It was an animalistic roar, a sound which struck fear inside his heart.

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅! ▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅! **"**

He howled in rage as he was flung many meters away, before wings of lightning sprouted from his back.

Jin growled at the shout of rage, raising his arm to meet the lightning bolts heading straight towards him. The bolts were repelled as he exerted all of his power.

 _Hikaru has been taken over by the Narukami. That would be the only explanation._

He felt the barrier. The connection between him and the barrier was weakening. He couldn't send any Prana to the barrier to reinforce it any longer. The already weak link he had with the barrier was already deteriorating.

 _Tch, looks like I don't have much time left. A few more minutes I guess. I think_ that _technique should be enough to tire him out enough for me to destroy that Orga Lux._

He brought his hands together, releasing all of his Prana. His nephews body turned towards his direction, the beast controlling it sensing the rise in power. A black mist surrounded his body, his Prana tainted by his sins.

He closed his eyes, images flashing past him. _Yuka, Ayame._ As he separated his hands, a black orb appeared between them. The orb floated up as he fell down. He felt the barrier drop. His senses felt Hikaru appear above him, hand poised to stab. Lightning coated the hand, sharpening it till it was a blade.

Jin felt the pain before he saw the hand stab him. It went straight through his chest and out of the back.

With a pull, his hand was free and Jin fell to the ground. "Looks like I have no choice."

He felt an immense amount of Prana, heading towards their location from the entrance. _Helga Lindwall is here as well. And heading towards us. Along with a squad of Stjarnagarm members. Another student is coming here as well. And it looks like…_ He stretched out his senses more. _That boy, Nestor Fandorin. Fool, why does he have to come here? He knows that he can't do anything against my power._

An axe kick to his abdomen sent him falling faster into the ground.

He looked up, past his nephew, to the black orb that was floating in the sky. Rubble around them was floating up, being attracted to the orb.

 _Soon._

He could see it beginning to form. One of his most devastating techniques. _Catastrophic destruction. I didn't want to use that technique. Helga Lindwall, she recognizes that technique, though the scale is different. I can't let Hikaru himself be suspected of helping us since I am his uncle. Yet…_ He looked at Hikaru, who was being controlled by the Narukami. The white-haired boy was surrounded by lightning, and animalistic roars escaped the sphere of lightning. _With this, I should be able to trap him. Trap him and destroy that Orga Lux. If I do that, with my current state, he can kill me._

The source of power was getting nearer and nearer every second. At the same time, the object he had created was growing in size as well. He pointed his palm at the sphere of lightning, and channeled his Prana through his arm. A black mist formed at his palm, his corrupted Prana started to act on the mana around him. _Just a bit more power…_ Suddenly, the sphere of lightning was repelled, and flung straight towards the growing object in the air.

Rubble floated up, trapping the sphere of lightning inside the giant orb of the debris from his destructive attacks.

 _I damaged the terrain enough that it would grow to about a size of 100. If I drop this… that_ thing _is here in Asterisk. If I drop this over Ginga's branch here, the resulting destruction would obliterate everything in Asterisk. I could finish this. But…_

He remembered his daughter and grit his teeth. _Killing Hikaru here will leave her all alone. I can't condemn her to that fate, even if that_ thing _will live for a few more days._

Jin then manipulated a few more pieces of rubble to the sphere, the sphere of lightning disappearing from view, and fed the technique more power.

Parts of the rock started to be attracted to the sphere. Even the buildings outside the crater also started to move, slowly but surely getting attracted by the gravitational power of the sphere.

 _A few more moments…_

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Nestor ran towards the crater, jumping on platforms of ice which vanished as soon as he jumped, crossing the rubble and destruction.

"You, boy, slow down!"

 _Like hell I can slow down, you idiots!_ He sped up. _Arashi, Hikaru, hold on a few more minutes. Help is coming._

He stopped, or rather, he was forced to stop, as the pressure bearing down on them increased exponentially.

 _What the-_

The ground started to shake, the rubble around them slowly rising. _Damn it!_ He increased his pace again, flooding his legs with Prana. The ground froze wherever his feet touched.

Suddenly, he felt a pull on his body. He felt himself float in the air, in the same direction the rubble was floating.

 _That sphere!_

He looked down, seeing a sphere of lightning. _Hikaru?_

He managed to flip himself so that he was facing down. As he concentrated, a platform of ice started to form at his feet.

He flooded his legs with Prana and pushed off. The platform shattered from the force while he was rocketed towards the sphere of lightning.

He collided with the sphere, which dissipated, and he collided against something warm, which was rapidly going cold.

As he looked at what he collided with, his eyes widened.

"Arashi!" He shook the black-haired President's shoulder, but it was in vain. "ARASHI!"

His mind went blank as it tried to register the fact that Arashi had died. His best friend had died, and he had been too weak to help him. He couldn't save him.

 _I couldn't help my friend. I couldn't save my first friend._  
He glared at the sphere of rubble, eyes filled with fury.

 _It's due to_ him _. That monster… he tore everything apart. Our lives, because of him, everything was torn away from us._  
A cold rage filled his mind, his thoughts turning darker.

Suddenly, the orb floating in the sky exploded.

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅ **!"**

A roar which struck fear in his heart, as he gazed up at the orb which was falling apart, as he spotted a white-haired boy, enshrouded in lightning, an inhuman roar escaping the boy's lips.

"H-Hi-Hikaru?"

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 _ **The enemy is still there.**_

 _The enemy is still alive._

 _ **Your enemy still lives. Will you let him live?**_

 _He stole everything from me._

 _ **That's right. He stole everything from you.**_

 _Unforgivable._

 _ **That's right. Unforgivable.**_

 _Unforgivable!_

 _ **Will you let him do as he wants?**_

 _He won't escape. I will kill him._

 _ **That's correct. Kill. Murder! SLAUGHTER!**_

 _I will slaughter him!  
_ _ **Tear him to pieces! Rip him apart!**_

 _Show him despair! Crush him!_

 _ **Destroy him! Obliterate him!**_

 _I will make sure that not a trace of him remains on this earth._

 _ **Not even ashes of him will remain.**_

…

 _ **HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**_

 _D_ _ **E**_ _S_ _ **T**_ _R_ _ **O**_ _Y_ _ **H**_ _I_ _ **M**_ _!_ _ **!**_

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

A howl. An animalistic roar.

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅ **!"**

The surface of the floating orb began to rumble. The rumbling thunder drowned out the sound of the roars, lightning crackled as it began to emerge from inside the giant orb of rocks.

In a second, a part of the orb was destroyed, lightning emerging from the opening.

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅ **!"**

A beast of lightning emerged from the orb. At the centre of that beast, clouded in lightning, was Hikaru. He roared as he raised his arm up towards the sky. The sky lit up in a bright flash as the lightning in the sky descended to his arm, forming a big dragon. The dragon dwarfed everything in the vicinity. The orb of rubble was consumed by the dragon, being vaporized by the immense heat and power. The dragon descended, straight towards the centre of the crater.

As the dragon of lightning neared the ground, a man with black hair smiled. Even as death approached him, he smiled and closed his eyes. The lightning dragon consumed him. Even as the lightning traveled through his body, electrocuting every part of it, his mind was filled with relief.

 _Now, you can be safe. You can be happy._

As his soul left his body, his body itself was destroyed. It turned to a charred black and then to ash. The dragon exploded, the lightning being set free. The world lit up as it exploded, leaving a big crater inside the one that Jin had created.

Nothing was left of the Strongest Dante. Not even ashes remained of him. Hikaru fell down, the lightning still acting as his shroud.

He roared again, a sound that couldn't be human.

As several people started to surround him, he roared.

Lightning bolts started to hit the ground, masking him, as he disappeared.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

She ran towards the destruction, towards the crater where the rubble lay.

He should have returned. Both of them should have returned by now.

 _Onii-chan, Hikaru-kun… please be safe._

As she stopped at the edge of the crater, she slid down the side to where she could see a group of people. She let a small sigh of relief pass through her lips as she recognized their clothing. The white uniform of the Stjarnagarm. She also noticed another thing that made her sink to her knees in relief. The heavy pressure that bore down on them for the last few days had disappeared. She felt lighter than ever. As she slowly stood up, making her way towards the crater, she spotted Nestor. He was kneeling next to someone, only their hair visible. But she recognized it anyway, the hair of her reliable older brother.

Yet her heart began to fill with dread. She couldn't see the form of her first friend, the form of the boy who had sacrificed everything for them.

As she stepped towards Arashi and Nestor, he stood up. As he turned around, still blocking her view of Arashi, he said, "I'm sorry." Those words confused her. As she saw Arashi however, everything became clear. A hole in his stomach, the blood staining his clothes. His chest wasn't moving. As reality came crashing down, her knees buckled.

She screamed in pain, a wound carved in deep inside her heart.

"ONII-CHAN!"

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

He ran. He ran till he couldn't run anymore. He didn't know where he was. His lungs burned. No, his whole body burned. His muscles ached, his bones had broken. And yet, he continued to run.

Run away from that place.

Run away from reality.

Run away from that hell.

Run away from _them_.

Run away from _her_.

As he fell to the ground, unable to move, he heard a vaguely familiar voice. Yet, he tried to tune it out; hearing that voice caused him unspeakable pain.

As he blacked out, he felt a momentary sense of relief. The pain had finally stopped, as he succumbed to unconsciousness, carrying wounds carved deep into his heart.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

He was floating. Floating inside the void between death and life.

He looked around, at the nothingness that surrounded him.

 _Maybe in death, I will find Yuka at last._

He could rest in peace now. His life of endless conflict, of death, had finally ended, taken by the very boy he had betrayed.

 _Everything is up to you now, Hikaru. You will have to protect Ayame and kill that monster once and for all._

That monster which had ripped apart the lives of everyone dear to him. That monster which had forced him to live this life of death and conflict. The monster which had forced him to betray the family who had trusted him. His _father_ , the abomination that had taken him in and molded him into a weapon.

 _Ryuga… you will die someday. My only regret is that you will not die by my hand._

He closed his eyes, longing for the peace that was denied of him.

Yet, he couldn't rest. That monster wouldn't allow him that mercy.

He felt himself being ripped apart.

 _No!_

Dread filled him as his vision began to be filled with light.

 _NO!_

A dark chuckle followed by a cold voice.

"Welcome back, Jin."

His heart was filled with dread. Then rage.

 _No! No! NO! NOOO!_

Everything he had worked for, everything he had ever sacrificed, all of it, everything, ruined by the whims of one man.

 _Damn you, Ryuga! DAMN YOU, RYUGA!_

He screamed, rage filling his heart.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Author's Note:**

 **Finally complete.**

 **First things first, I am really sorry for leaving without any explanation. I had started this fic as a hobby during the break between highschool 2nd and 3rd years. And after chapter5, I didn't have any time to update, since I can't balance my studies, sleep and this fic without affecting my health.**

 **I had been working on this chapter since the day the update of Chapter 5 came out, and have been able to finally give a proper ending to part 1 of Volume 1.**

 **Right now, I started college so updates will not be very fast, as my first readers have experienced the fast updates.**

 **And since I won't have much time and explain many things related to the fic inside the fic itself in some way or the other, I make my chapters very long. And this ensures that the readers have something to read for some time and won't be disappointed with short chapters and slow updates. So everyone, please bear with the slow updates and long chapters.**

 **I will try to update faster since I have my own laptop right now but it's mostly for educational purposes, and once again, I don't have much free time so I can't type long chapters very much.**

 **For readers who have any doubts regarding the approximate length of the story, I can say that this fic will have, at the very least, 50-60 chapters and can go beyond that as well.**

 **I will start a side-story series which will also be important to the fic. You can see snippets of the various characters' personalities and different parts of their life, basically omakes.**

 **The first side-story will be important though, for understanding the fic. I will try to complete that as soon as possible once I update Chapter 7 (once I finish typing it *sigh*). The other side-stories will be simply ones which explain the mechanics of the world, in ways of reports by the main characters (they are students so it's natural to assume that they may have to write reports and assignments once in a while.) and insights into the pasts and thinking and personalities of different characters.**

 **For clarification, this story will not diverge much from canon. I just want to write my own version of the canon story with a few extra characters, while explaining different things which I didn't find in the anime, manga and light novels.**

 **And everyone who favorited this fic, thank you very much. Even after a period of 15 months with no updates, peple still followed, favorited and reviewed this fic. Thank you very much.**

 **And readers, please review. I will gladly accept any compliments and criticism. Your reviews will tell me how I can improve my writing style. I'm also open to ideas for fights, character designs, etc.**

 **And if anyone has any tips and ideas and feels that it will be too long for a review, you can reach out to me through a PM. I will respond to PMs as fast as I can. And if anyone has any doubts or anything regarding update times, or story progress or anything else, you can PM me.**

 **If anyone has any ideas for the story or some innovative arcs for the story or any interesting attacks and abilities, you can PM me. I will discuss it with my beta reader and we might make changes to the story. If we use your idea, you will be mentioned and credited for it.**

 **And everyone who likes it, please follow, favorite and review.**

 **The number of reviews and favorites will let me convince my parents to allow me to put more time into this fic, since they want me to limit this and focus even more on academics.**

 **Once again, I will update as soon as possible. And apologies once again for the unexplained hiatus and slow updates.**

 **-Hikaru**


	7. Chapter 7

**So, chapter 7 is here. It took longer than I wanted and all, but it turned out satisfactory. If anyone has any ideas or something, you can send me a PM and I'll see if it can be implemented.**

 **I'm really sorry for the long wait between chapters. I was busy with lots of stuff at college and didn't have time to gather my mind and type out my ideas. And a few parts of this chapter did give me a bit of a trouble so that was another obstacle as well.**

 **Raijin, Rank#0 of Seidoukan Academy**

 **Chapter 7**

 **Despair**

 _You are Narukami Hikaru, the Raijin, the Rank#0 of Seidoukan Academy._

 _I leave my dream to you._

 _Please apologise to Setsura for leaving her like this._

"*GASP*!" He woke up with a start, startling the girl who was beside him.

He tried to stand up, but in vain. A hand on his shoulder made him stop as he looked at the owner of said hand.

"Don't move, alright? You will hurt yourself again."

He listened to her words, simply sitting as she stood up, sliding the door open and closing it behind her as she left the room. She returned a few moments later, a glass of water in her hands, which she handed to him.

"Where am I, Setsura-nee?"

"I'm not onee-chan anymore, otouto?" She asked with a sad smile before answering, "The shrine. You are at our home. You are safe right now."

 _Home?_

"Why?" He whispered, a voice only he could hear.

"Hmm?"

"WHY?!" He shouted, but she didn't flinch. "Why did you bring me here? Why didn't you hand me over to the authorities? Or better yet, why didn't you just leave me to die?! You must hate me, right?! I am a murderer, after all! I killed Arashi as well! You should have just left me to die!"

SLAP!

He was left reeling by her slap, shocked at her actions.

"Don't you ever say that ever again!"

She stood up. "I will let you rest for some time. Then we will have a long talk, otouto."

She left the room, fuming at his words. _How dare they! Twisting him so much that he himself is starting to believe that he is a murderer… I will give them a piece of my mind once I go back! Those idiots!_

Hikaru sat staring at his hand, half-expecting to be covered with blood.

 _I killed him. I killed Arashi. Setsura-nee… Sylvie… I killed Sylvie's brother…_ He let out a hollow laugh as he lay down, covering his eyes with his arm in an effort to hide his tears. _She must be hating me now, the killer of her loving brother, the cold-blooded murderer who cut down everyone before him without remorse._

The very thought of her hating him hurt more than his wounds did.

"Damn it! Why did you have to die, Arashi? Why did this have to happen?"

He cried silently as he let out his frustration and sadness, trying to deal with the deaths he had caused.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"Do you want to talk to me about it, otouto?"

He remained silent.

"I went there, you know. Arashi's funeral. He was buried at that sakura tree in your yard."

 _He always liked that spot, didn't he?_ He thought absently.

"She was crying. That purple-haired girl you told me about, she was crying." He grit his teeth, tightening his fists. _I killed her brother, after all. It's obvious that she would be crying._

"Nestor… I've never seen Nestor that angry and sad."

 _Why are you telling me this?_

"I cried too, you know. That idiot… going off and dying like that."

 _You loved him, didn't you?_

"Honestly, why did he have to die? He could have just waited for that stupid barrier to drop. Him and that stupid streak of his… if he had just waited for some time…"

She was sobbing by this point.

 _If he had never come…_

"Did he say anything? Nestor said that you might have been there when he died. Did he say anything?"

 _/-_

" _Arashi, what are you saying?"_

" _I'm choosing this. I'm going to become a sacrifice instead of you. You were planning to kill yourself, right? I should have known it. When they died, your voice was different. You… you were planning to die fighting, right? Kill that bastard and then kill yourself. I *cough* should have stopped you. But I didn't. Once this is over, I hope you can forgive me for my stupidity."_

" _What are you saying, Arashi?! What about Sylvie?! What about Setsura-nee?! Nestor, Feardorcha, everyone?! What about them?!"_

" _I… I should apologise to you. I am burdening you again. I have a few last selfish requests. First, please protect Sylvie in my place. Find Ursula-san and bring her back to Sylvie. Second, win the Phoenix and prove your innocence, prove everyone wrong. Third, could you tell Setsura that I love her? And also tell her that I'm sorry for going off and dying like this. Fourth, I want to entrust my dream to you. A world where Genestellar and humans are equal, a world where Genestella are accepted, a world where no one has to suffer because of how they were born, I wanted to see that world. Can you make that world happen? Fifth, Seidoukan, please protect my Seidoukan. I don't want to see this place which has many memories be destroyed. And finally, be happy. Don't blame yourself for my death, this is my choice."_

" _No. What are you talking about?! Create that world yourself! Confess to her yourself, dammit! And protect your sister yourself! She's your sister, not mine! You are supposed to protect her!"_

" _Hah, I really messed up. Now you are supposed to protect her. And you are supposed to be strong. You are the Rank 1. No, that isn't right. You are the one who will surpass everyone, Hikaru. Being anything less than that is forbidden."_

" _I'm too weak, dammit! I can't protect anyone!"_

" _Being anything less than that is forbidden. I am placing a burden on you. But I know that you will bear this. You will surpass all your limits and become stronger. Because you are Narukami Hikaru, the Raijin, the Rank#0 of Seidoukan Academy. And you are the strongest person I know."_

 _Arashi then looked weakly at Hikaru. "I'm sorry…" He trailed off, his eyes losing the light._

 _-/_

He still remained silent.

 _Why?_

They stayed in silence for a long time before Setsura let out a small sigh, standing up and making her way out of the room.

Meanwhile, he kept repeating that same question in his mind.

 _Why?_

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Setsura sat down, leaning against a tree, thinking back to when Arashi had confessed to her.

She smiled sadly at that memory.

"Why did you have to die, Arashi?" _Why did you have to leave me? Why was my happiness stolen from me?_

She cried silently as the memories of the boy she loved flashed in her mind.

 _/-_

" _Detention while we are in a break… just how I wanted my break to go." Hikaru grumbled as he looked outside the window absentmindedly, staring at a strangely shaped cloud._

" _Why am I in detention as well? I'm the Student Council President, damn it!"_

" _Kaito, if you don't shut up and do your work, detention is going to be the least of your worries." Kyouko said with a menacing voice, swinging her nail bat threateningly._

 _Arashi gulped while Hikaru sniggered beside him, before getting hit on the head by Kyouko. "And stop sniggering, Narukami. You threw the first punch."_

" _Ow!" He exclaimed in pain. "Technically, they threw the first punch. We only used long-range attacks till they got to close range and even then, I only used a chop to break an arm and a kick to knock out one of them so I didn't throw any punch." He answered cheekily, getting a laugh out of Setsura, while earning another hit on the head by Kyouko._

" _Why did you even go and pick a fight with delinquents from Rewolf anyway, in the Redevelopment Area to boot?"_

" _Uh…"_

" _Those idiots were trying to harass me. Otouto got pissed off and sent a lightning bolt at them, which started the fight." Setsura said calmly, completing her assigned work calmly._

" _Hey!" Hikaru exclaimed in indignation. "Why are you just revealing that secret to her?"_

" _And then Kaichou joined in. Because we were in the Redevelopment Area and we happened to be in the area which was Rewolf's unofficial 'hunting grounds', so to say, they had their buddies join in. Kaichou joined, him and otouto teamed up and started beating them up."_

" _You make us sound like the bad guys, Onee-chan."_

" _Honestly, if the Stjarnagarm hadn't intervened, we wou-" Setsura was interrupted by Arashi. "We would have kicked their asses, threatened them to keep quiet, called the Stjarnagarm and left, come back, and watch some TV in Hikaru's big-ass mansion."_

" _Right, because we totally weren't outnumbered, Arashi." Hikaru said as he got back to his work._

" _Look, we didn't even use our Orga Luxs. Hell, you only used hand-to-hand along with your Kanmuru technique."_

" _It was a waste of time. You need to control yourself, otouto. And kaichou, you need to learn when you need to stop a fight and when you need to get into the fight." Setsura scolded them._

And you are the one who went overboard, onee-chan. _Hikaru thought, a deadpanned look on his face._ You created a freaking tower of ice.

" _Alright, enough talking. Get back to work."_

" _Hai." All three of them replied in a bored voice, making her brow twitch in frustration._

 _The ringing of a terminal made Kyouko sigh as she answered the call. "Yes, this is Yatsuzaki."_

 _A muffled voice came from the other side and she raised a brow. "What? *Sigh* Fine, I'm coming immediately."_

 _She walked out of the room. Arashi almost jumped out of his chair before Kyouko stuck her head back in._

" _And you three, complete your work. If I find any of you outside before your work is complete, you won't like the consequences." She narrowed her eyes at Arashi before leaving._

" _Y-yes." Arashi gulped while Hikaru sniggered._

 _ **30 minutes later**_

 _Hikaru stretched his arms before laying his head on the desk, looking at Arashi and Setsura._

" _How long will it take?"_

" _Don't know."_

 _ **1 hour later**_

" _Geez, you guys are slow."_

 _Hikaru was spinning a lightning dagger before he ducked under an icicle and a feather of darkness._

" _Shut up for some time, otouto."_

" _Screw you, Hikaru."_

 _ **30 minutes later**_

" _Well, I need to meet a friend of mine, so I'll be leaving. Onee-chan, I'll prepare dinner today. Any requests?"_

" _Nothing special."_

" _Fine." He stood in the doorway and activated his Kanmuru, sending Prana to his legs._

" _Oh, and one more thing. Get your work done quick, you idiotic slowpokes!"_

 _He then dashed out of the room, just in time as a slew of icicles and dark feathers hit where he was standing._

" _That little… I'll get him next time."_

" _It's bad to attack your juniors, Kaichou."_

" _Oh, I won't hurt him that much."_

" _But it's not bad for elder sisters to teach their younger brothers a lesson." She said with a not-so-innocent smile, the temperature of the room slowly decreasing._

" _Oh, good."_

 _ **1 hour later**_

 _Arashi glanced at Setsura while she stretched her arms. "Finally… now I can rest."_

" _Hah… kick Hikaru's ass for me."_

" _Afterwards. Too tired to move right now."_

 _She lay her head down on the desk and closed her eyes. In a few moments, she was asleep, an occasional cool breeze through the open window ruffling her hair._

 _Arashi completed his work in a few more minutes and stood up, walking over to Setsura's desk and moved to wake her up, before stopping._

She looks so peaceful and beautiful.

 _He smiled slightly at that thought._ That's one of the reasons I fell for her, I guess.

 _He shook his head._ I'll let her sleep for some more time. She doesn't get much rest with all of the Council work anyway. _He then went back to his desk and took a novel that he had borrowed from Hikaru._

 _After a few pages, he yawned._

" _Damn, how does he read such boring books? I feel sleepy just looking at it."_

 _Still, he tried to persevere, reading a few more pages. However, sleep overtook him before long and he was peacefully asleep, the book lying on the floor._

 _ **2 hours later**_

 _A pale finger poked his cheek, checking to see if he was still awake._

" _He's asleep, huh?" Setsura muttered to herself as she sat at the desk before him, looking at his face._

 _Suddenly, he woke up, making Setsura take a quick step back, lest she be caught staring at him, quite closely._

" _Setsura?"_

" _You finally woke up. It's late. Don't tell me you are going to sleep in the classroom."_

" _S-Setsura!"_

" _Hmm?" She turned around, surprise evident on her face at the sudden call. She spotted a flustered looking Arashi. "What is it, Kaichou?"_ Strange. Why is he so flustered?

" _Uh, w-wo-would you like to go on a d-date this Sunday?"_

 _It took her a few moments to process what he said before she blushed bright red._

" _W-what?!"_

 _Fortunately for the both of them, no one was in earshot of their conversation._

What the hell is he saying right now?!

" _Would you like to go on a date this Sunday?" He repeated, clearly and loudly._

What?! What should I do?!

 _She began to panic internally while Arashi waited anxiously for her answer._

Alright, calm down, Setsura. _She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly._ It's just a date. It's just a date… with the boy I like! This is too sudden for me!

 _After a few moments, she finally spoke. "What brought this on, Kaichou?"_

" _Um… I've li-liked you for quite some time. And well…"_

And of course he has to like me. _Setsura thought._ Wait… he said he liked me.

 _A happy smile graced her face as she turned around._

" _I want to go to the park in the evening. Don't be late." She said simply, before turning around and walking out of the room quickly, the smile staying on her face the whole time._

 _It took a few moments for her words to sink in before Arashi let out a shout of joy._

 _As Setsura walked outside the room, hearing Arashi's shout of joy, she sighed, a blush forming on her face. "How did I fall for such a guy?"_

 _ **4 hours later**_

" _You know, onee-chan…" Hikaru started, getting her attention. "You have been smiling a lot lately, for the past few hours. What happened, did Arashi ask you out on a date or something?" He asked with a teasing smirk, while washing a plate by the sink._

 _Setsura almost dropped the plate she was wiping in shock, but regained her composure. "W-what are you talking about?! There's no way that…" She mumbled, trying to hide the blush on her face by turning away._

 _Hikaru, who didn't notice her blush, continued his previous work._

 _That night, Setsura went to sleep, a happy smile on her face._

 _-/_

"Now, Arashi is gone and kaa-chan as well…"

She sat by the tree, tears flowing down her cheeks.

 _/-_

 _Arashi watched as Setsura gazed lazily out the window, staring at the passing clouds. He had seen her do this many times, simply staring at the empty sky from the window, lost in her own world._

 _He forced his gaze away from her, not wanting to be caught staring, and looked around the class. "Huh? Where's Nestor?" His muttering was not caught by anyone and then a stray thought struck him._ That's right, I told Nestor and Hikaru to sort out the paperwork for the festival. But knowing them, they will have already completed the whole thing and are now walking around the campus(Nestor) or sleeping on the rooftop(Hikaru). I really should make a few rules stopping that, just to get a few laughs. _The door slammed open suddenly, and he turned towards it, immediately on guard, hand slipping towards his Orga Lux. He relaxed, seeing Hikaru at the doorway, who seemed to be slightly panting._ Odd. What was so important that he had to run all the way here, and in enough of a panic that he didn't use any of his techniques and just ran?

" _O-onee-chan! Oba-san is-" Whatever he was about to say was interrupted as Setsura grabbed him by the shoulders, the force with which she moved enough to make him take a few steps back. "What happened to kaa-chan?!" She almost shouted._

" _Ryu called. He found her unconscious when he went to check on her. She's in the hospital now." He said everything in a low voice, but Arashi heard it. "He's sending the jet now, we can go. Pack and we'll leave. The car is already here."_

 _Arashi moved immediately, following them with swift steps. He fell in step beside Hikaru, running while asking, "What happened?"_

" _Onee-chan's mother is ill. Ryu called me earlier saying that when he went to check on her, I asked him to check up on her regularly, he said that he found her unconscious. He rushed her to the hospital and sent someone here to pick us up. We're going and don't know when we'll be back."_

 _He then jumped out the window, falling down 10 floors and creating a crater on landing, then broke out into a sprint towards the forest, more specifically towards his home._

 _Arashi and Setsura followed him. Arashi could only watch as a tear rolled down her cheek as she ran._

 _ **1 week later**_

" _ **Arashi, everything alright?"**_ _Hikaru had seen better days._

I should be asking you that, dumbass. _Arashi only replied with a simple_ _"Yeah. How about you guys? Is Setsura's mother okay? And what about you? You look like you haven't slept in days."_

 _Hikaru let out a sigh and ran his hand through his hair._ He's stressed, that's for sure.

" _ **I'm fine. Good news is… Setsuna-san is out of danger and nothing happened. Bad news… she is in a coma and we don't know when she will wake up."**_ If she will wake up… Setsura can't ignore that possibility. _"What about Setsura?"_

" _ **Onee-chan's asleep. She was up late, and I had to force her to sleep… I don't know what to do, Arashi. Everything seemed fine just a little while ago and now…"**_

" _You'll be fine. You are the Rank #1 of Seidoukan Academy, you know. You can't just say stuff like that. What will people think of us, when our strongest student looks like this, huh?"_

 _He tried to joke around._

" _ **Thanks, Arashi. I… we'll try to return in a few weeks. Can you take care of things until then?"**_

" _No problem. I got things covered here. Looks like Nestor is going to attack me a bit more though. The Kageboshi are giving him quite the problem."_

" _ **Hahaha… I'd like to see that… thanks, Arashi. Keep me updated on everything. And what about**_ **her** _ **?"**_

" _She's fine as well."_

" _ **That's good. I'll talk to you later, Arashi."**_

" _Yeah. Take care." He hung up, dismissing the screen floating before him._

 _ **2 weeks later**_

 _Setsura sat at the edge of her bed, staring at the floating screen before her. Arashi's face soon appeared on the screen, still yawning as he answered her call,_ _ **"Hello?"**_

" _Kaichou…"_

" _ **Setsura?"**_ _He seemed to wake up, focusing his eyes on her._ _ **"Are you all right? Geez, you look like you haven't slept in days."**_

" _I talked with otouto. I managed to convince him to return to Seidoukan. He's returning by next week. He still has some things to look after here."_

" _ **So Hikaru's coming back. And you? When are you returning?"**_

" _I… I don't know, Kaichou. I'm staying behind to look after kaa-chan."_

" _ **I see. *Sigh* You are going to lose that Rank #2 of yours. The matches will be next week."**_

" _I don't care about that." She replied gloomily, looking down._

" _ **Geez, don't look so gloomy. I'll warm the seat for you till you return. I think this academy could do with a few more random ice towers popping up."**_ _He tried to joke, making her smile slightly._

" _We never went on that date, did we?"_

" _ **Well, lucky that I never actually made any plans for that, huh?"**_

" _What were you planning on doing, then?"_

" _ **Eh, I was planning on winging it."**_

" _That never goes well, especially with sensitive topics like this." She stifled a small laugh._

" _ **Well, we can go on that date when you return and take your spot from me."**_

" _Kaichou, I-"_

" _ **Don't worry, everything will be alright. You can take your time, sort out everything, and when your mother wakes up, how about bringing her here? I would like to take her permission if I am taking out her daughter on a date."**_

 _She paused at his words, then took a deep breath and released it. "Thank you, Kaichou."_

" _ **Well, I need to sleep, then. Nestor called a meeting and he wants to talk to me before the meeting starts. Can you tell Hikaru about this and ask him to contact me?"**_

" _Okay. Good night, Kaichou." With a small pause, she added, "Thank you, Kaichou, for everything."_

" _ **Yeah, good night, Setsura."**_

 _The screen disappeared as he hung up, and Setsura sighed as she stared at the ceiling, falling asleep, plagued by nightmares._

 _-/_

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"I'm too weak. Too weak to protect anyone. All I can do is kill… destroy…" He muttered over and over again as he stared at the Orga Lux in his hand. "It should have been me. I should have died."

Setsura sat outside the room, hearing his words with her senses enhanced by Prana.

"Otouto…"

She heard soft footsteps and stood up, heading towards the living room.

"Ryu-san." She greeted the silver-haired assistant, sitting at the table.

"Setsura-sama." He returned the greeting, sitting opposite her.

"How is kaa-chan?"

"Her condition remains the same, Setsura-sama."

He then looked at her and asked in a low voice, "How is he, Setsura-sama? Is he…" He trailed off near the end.

"He's still the same. He keeps repeating the same words over and over again, staring at that cursed Orga Lux of his."

"Is there anything that I can do for him? Should I call in Rei to-"

"No! Don't… don't tell anyone about him. I'll deal with him somehow."

"Understood. I will contact you if anything arises."

"Yeah. And try to distract the IEF and their spies."

"Yes. I've kept groceries on the counter."

"Good. That could work as a cover as well."

"I have checked up on the wards as well. They weren't triggered in the past week."

"Good."

She was soon left alone, Hikaru's words repeating in her ears.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Something gripped her heart. It gripped her soul, urging her. It filled dark thoughts in her mind, influencing her.

Even as she tried to stop, her body moved on its own, an icicle forming in her hand.

Even as the logical part of her protested, her soul urged her.

Before she could stop herself, the icicle was plunged straight into her body, digging deep.

Fresh blood trickled from her, as she fell to the floor with a thud. Her blood began to pool around her, staining her white clothes red.

A startled Hikaru suddenly appeared in the doorway, eyes wide in shock. She managed to turn her head, eyes glistening with tears.

"I'm sorry, otouto." _I wasn't strong enough._ Setsura closed her eyes, breathing her last.

His strength left him, falling to his knees, a hollow feeling in his heart. As a dark haze spread around him, an ominous laugh echoing in the back of his mind, he blacked out.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Seidoukan Academy, Asterisk**

He stood alone in the rain, staring at the crude gravestone he made. His eyes were hollow and lifeless, having no purpose.

He didn't move, even as his senses picked up the sound of footsteps.

"Hikaru?!" It was a voice he could faintly recognise. "What are you doing here?! You shouldn't be here!"

Nestor Fandorin hurried over to him, wet from the rain. He shook him out of his stupor.

"What are you doing, Hikaru? You shouldn't be here! Hell, this is the last place you want to be! Leave before someone sees you!"

"She's dead."

"What?"

"She's dead."

"Who is…" He trailed off as he turned to look at the stone. His eyes widened as he took in the name. "Yuki… how did she die?"

He didn't respond, continuing to stare emptily at the grave.

"That's not important now. You need to hide. Many of the students left but the Kageboshi are still here, so are the Page One. I don't know who we can trust. I can only trust Feardorcha and Ibara."

He then continued to drag Hikaru, who didn't provide any resistance, towards the cargo port. "You can hide at the cargo port while we figure out a way for you to leave."

He then operated his terminal, opening a screen, calling Ibara.

"Ibara, it's me. No time, Hikaru is here. I'm getting him to the cargo containment area, probably the 4th would be better. Call Feardorcha. Make sure nobody finds out."

He then dismissed the screen, not waiting for an answer from Ibara, and sped up.

Meanwhile, far away, a young man wearing the standard Seidoukan uniform, with a green hoodie under it, spoke into an audio-only screen.

"Raijin has been spotted. Heading towards Cargo Containment 4."

" **Noted. Any noticeable changes?"**

"None. Rank #4 Nestor Fandorin is leading him towards the area. Once Fandorin is out of the way, execute the plan. Or else he will create unnecessary complications."

" **Follow them. Place traps along the way once Fandorin leaves. And place wards around the area."**

"Understood."

The screen disappeared, and Yabuki Eishirou disappeared into the shadows.

"I'm sorry, Leader."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"Hikaru is here? In Asterisk? Are you being serious right now?"

"Yeah. Look, Yuki's dead." He ignored the pair of gasps as he continued. "He buried her. I took him to Cargo Containment 4, the one where the fight took place. Feardorcha, I need you to find if any cargo ships are there in the port, preferably from or to Japan. Ibara, I need you to call in the Kageboshi and direct their movements away from the port. Towards the Redevelopment Area would be better."

"What about you?"

"I'm going back. I'm having a bad feeling and some support would be better for him."

"Understood."

The black-haired Dante stood up and left the room, heading back towards the port.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

The rain battered against the empty container that he was in, filling his mind with a constant sound. A cold wind hit his wet form. He felt nothing. His heart was hollow, his eyes empty.

The sound of the rain was the only thing he heard.

The rain muffled their footsteps, muffled their whispers and it dulled his senses. He had not noticed the man next to him till it was too late. Yet, his body reacted.

As the rings of light and Prana headed towards his neck, a burst of Prana and lightning destroyed the wall of the container behind him, another burst pushed him out of the container. He didn't want to dodge. He had no purpose left anyway, nothing left to live for.

Another set of footsteps behind him made him turn around while summoning the Narukami to his hand. As he started to block and parry the blows raining down on him, his mind went blank. His body moved on its own, the sword moving to stop every attack from reaching his body. Another attack came from his side. A spear of lightning appeared in his left hand, which blocked the tanto. A sudden burst of lightning threw off his attackers, and he proceeded to kick the one on the front, before jumping up, creating platforms to jump onto another container, which promptly exploded.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"Stop right there, Fandorin."

Nestor turned around immediately, creating a sword of ice in his right hand, his left in position to create another.

"Captain Lindwall, pleasure to meet you. Can I know why you are here? I mean, aren't you supposed to be looking for someone?" He was clearly nervous. _Why the hell is she here? Did she come to know of Hikaru's whereabouts somehow?_

"That's what I'm doing. The Stjarnagarm received information that Narukami Hikaru is here, hiding out in the cargo containment area. We already have a few people trying to capture him, and I'd appreciate it if you don't go towards that area."

"Hikaru's here? I-I didn't know that. Alright, I won't interfe-"

"This is a warning to all three of you. Don't do anything you will regret. The stakes are higher than you can imagine." The world around him stilled for just an instant but he understood the implications.

The sword in his hand fell, disappearing before it hit the ground.

As she walked past him, he shook slightly, but then steadied himself, quickly bringing up a few screens.

"Feardorcha, Ibara, stop everything. Return to the meeting room."

" **What?!"**

" **Why?"**

"Helga Lindwall is here. They know, the IEF know about Hikaru. He's already under attack. We were ordered not to interfere."

" **Are you going to just giv-"**

"The stakes are higher than we can imagine. That's what she said, Ibara."

" **She knows about what we are doing. Anything more and then she throws us in prison as well. Is that what you are saying, Nestor?"**

"Feardorcha's right. That's what she meant. This is out of our hands now. Return to the meeting room."

He then dismissed the screens and walked towards the main building of Seidoukan.

 _Is this all I can do?_

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

The bladed khakkara was aimed at his neck again, trying to behead him. Another shield of prana managed to barely stop it. He then shot a few spears at the man attacking him, who simply spun the bladed weapon and blocked them all, while he jumped back, immediately falling under attack from another person. This continued for a few more exchanges as his body continued to react and attack, not bound to his will. Another explosion to his left disturbed the pattern and threw him off, exposing his back to an attack. An attack to the back of his head was again stopped by a burst of lightning, but it could do nothing to stop the attack to his neck. A deep cut appeared on his neck, gushing out blood.

His figure disappeared, reappearing atop another container, before coming under another onslaught of attacks.

 _ **These fools… this body will not hold out for long. And all of them together are too skilled for this body's current capabilities to combat.**_

As the onslaught of attacks continued, he started to accumulate more wounds.

He started to run, moving to different containers and hiding behind them while he tried to heal his wounds.

Consecutive explosions forced him out, making him trigger more traps.

 _ **This can't continue. I need to do something or this body will be destroyed.**_

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"Are you the one sent to escort me to the operation area?"

Yabuki Eishirou turned around, nodding.

"The target is currently in Cargo Containment 4, or what's left of it, anyways. The other members of Night Emit have been trying to incapacitate him but that's not working out that well. They already had to resort to more lethal techniques."

"I want him alive." She said sternly, before walking towards the barrier. As Eishirou made a few hand signs, the barrier momentarily dissipated, allowing them entry.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

He fell down, unable to bear the strain. The wounds accumulated on his body, leaving gashes and blood in their wake.

 _ **No! This can't be… this wasn't supposed to happen. When this boy had finally broken and I was going to take him…**_

The khakkara was heading towards his neck, aiming to behead him.

It was stopped in its place by a hand, followed by a stern, "That's enough."

Helga Lindwall stared Yabuki Bujinzai in the eye, daring him to make a move. "The objective was to capture him, not kill him."

"He was proving quite difficult to capture."

"I can see that."

The whole area was badly destroyed. A few members of the Night Emit were nursing their wounds, one of them healing every cut, bruise and burn.

"The Stjarnagarm will be taking custody of Narukami Hikaru. Leave, Yabuki."

"Understood."

Bujinzai turned around, the khakkara Lux disappearing. With a few hand signals, all of Night Emit disappeared, as though they were never there, the only traces of the battle being the destruction and the body at her feet.

A screen opened as she contacted the Captain of the 1st Division.

"Hiiragi, get a team to Seidoukan Cargo Containment 4. Narukami Hikaru has been captured. Prepare a vehicle for transportation." She then glanced at the body at her feet, and the blood slowly pooling around it. "And get a medic."

She then placed his body on stasis, stopping him from moving.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

" **The wanted criminal Narukami Hikaru was captured yesterday at Seidoukan academy by the Stjarnagarm and is being held on trial today."**

Ernest dismissed the screen.

"Raijin was captured a week ago, and how does that affect this meeting, Pendragon?" Dirk Eberwein asked directly. "He has been captured, and he will be executed. End of story."

Sylvia flinched at his words, while Nestor clenched his fist. "Tyrant, keep your mouth shut for some time."

"And what will you do if I don't, Hrimphurs?"

"Please don't fight, both of you." Ernest said calmly. "This is a place for words, not fights."

"Why are you here anyway, Hrimphurs? There are quite a few additions here."

True to his words, there were quite a few people standing behind almost everyone.

Nestor leaned against the pillar behind Claudia, Laetitia Blanchard stood behind Ernest, a blond girl with features similar to Ernest stood behind Sylvia, and an orange-haired boy stood behind Xinglou.

"Why do you care anyway, asshole?" Nestor replied heatedly, glaring at the Rewolf President.

"Normally, the President and sometimes the Vice-President would attend. So what is the Secretary doing here?"

"That's not the purpose of this meeting. If we can continue the meeting, we wouldn't have to waste time on useless matter." Ernest interfered.

Suddenly, blade of darkness hit Xinglou from the side. Similar blades then hit everyone else, then a voice said, "Don't resist. If even a single one of you resists, we will kill every single one of you, no exceptions."

All of them fell unconscious as something overtook their minds, robbing them of the energy to stay awake. Only Xinglou was able to resist the sensation. A screen appeared before her.

" **Banyuu Tenra, don't interfere. Don't move. This is just a conflict between me and another party. Once it is complete, we will release all of you. If you do interfere, your student dies before you can save him."**

"You… soul-stealer… you will regret this."

" **Not today."**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

He was chained to the walls, unable to move. Even if he could, he wouldn't. He had no will to move.

His mind recalled the trial a week before.

 _/-_

 _His hands were cuffed, a pair of manacles on his ankles. The manadytes embedded in them were all emitting a soft glow, absorbing and releasing his Prana to the atmosphere, sealing his abilities._

 _The judge's voice was intimidating and cold. "The court will now pass judgement on Narukami Hikaru, guilty of multiple charges of murder, destruction of public property, and resisting arrest."_

 _Helga Lindwall, standing behind Hikaru, in the position to incapacitate him if required, watched the proceedings._ He didn't say anything at all. And unfortunately for him, the courts of the IEF take silence as the same as pleading guilty. The best he can ask for all he did is a life sentence. _"The culprit will be executed on March 1, 2063."_

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"Captain Lindwall, we have received reports of an unauthorised aircraft over Hotel Elnath. The Student Council Presidents of the six institutes, along with 2 of the Secretaries, and 2 Vice-Presidents, have been abducted. We have as of yet not received any particular demand for a ransom."

"When did this happen?"

"The afternoon. The hotel staff were delaying in informing us, and the aircraft seemed to be using the same technology used in the prototype stealth jets developed by Fraulenob recently. We have been trying to track the aircraft, and have managed to narrow it down to the Twin Towers Mall, which is currently closed and will be opened the next week. A few teams have been already placed around the towers, and are now waiting for your order."

"Good. Keep a lookout on the news for any ransom demands."

"Roger."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Something was going on. Ladislav Bartosik could observe the actions of the Stjarnagarm for what it was, chaos. "I wonder what's going on." He muttered to himself. _Is it related to that boy? Narukami something… the wielder of my Orga Lux._

Hikaru meanwhile was in his cell. Suddenly, his ears picked up something, yet it didn't matter. Not until he heard the name of someone, someone who had never stopped trusting him, never doubted him, never hated him.

 _Sylvie!_ His body moved slightly, as he strained his ears to listen to what was being broadcasted.

" **If Narukami Hikaru is not handed over to us in 1 hour, then Claudia Enfield will be thrown off the building and Sylvia Lyyneheym will be raped on live TV!"**

The voice which said it had a sadistic undertone, and these words shook him to his core.

 _Sylvie!_

He started to struggle against the chains, trying to use his Prana to augment his strength.

 _I need to save her! I need to protect her!_

He struggled harder.

 _I took everything away from her!_

These thoughts repeated itself inside his head, spurring him on.

 _I need to protect her!_

He struggled against the chains, trying to break free.

 _I… Arashi requested me to protect her… I can't let her pay for my sins!_

He continued to struggle, starting to bleed.

In his struggles, he noticed neither the void which appeared before him, nor the man stepping out of the void.

The sound of footsteps made him stop for a moment, seeing a man walking towards him.

His white hair was left free, partially covering his red eye, while the other, a mix of purple and blue, stared at him. He wore dark blue pants, with a high-collared black shirt, and a black knee-length haori. What grabbed his attention, and gave birth to fear somewhere in his heart, was the presence this man was releasing.

The mana in the air seemed to flee from him, moving further away as he walked. There was the distinct smell of ozone around him, along with a sense of death. There was also something in his eyes. Something which pushed him forward.

"Wh-who are you?"

The man didn't say anything as he walked towards the door. The mana composing the field dissipated instantly as he walked towards it.

He felt the chains keeping him bound break, and his wounds start to heal. By the time the man stood before him, he was completely healed.

"I'm… your ally."

After a long time, a fire rekindled itself in him.

Hope.

A tear of happiness rolled down his face.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **So, this chapter is the shortest chapter currently.**

 **As you can see, Setsura died as well. But what exactly killed her? She was not willing to, obviously.**

 **And for anyone with questions about Xinglou, she cares about her students. So if there is a chance that her students would get hurt, she wouldn't act.**

 **Coming to the last part of the chapter, you will have to read the omake/side-story chapter 1 to know the identity of the man. The side-story chapter 1 will be uploaded immediately after this.**

 **The name will be 'Raijin, Rank#0: Omake' for now. If anyone has ideas for the name, they can PM me or put it the reviews and I'll consider it.**

 **Coming to the next thing i.e. the next chapter. I don't know, honestly. College has been taking more out of me than I thought, and I need to focus on academics. I was able to release this chapter simply because I have holidays right now. I don't know when the next update will be. Putting all the ideas I have into words takes some time so the updates will be late. I'll try to sit down and get some typing done.**

 **The main problem being that for the first few chapters, all of it is on my own, so I need to make it consistent and without any plot-holes.**

 **Long story short, it's going to take some time between each update, especially from July onwards, because I'm busy with issues IRL and I apologise for the delay.**

 **Please review so that I can correct any mistakes**

 **-HikaruNarukami**


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